You’ll soon be able to roll up to a McD’s for some delicious food and charge your plug-in vehicle at the same time. There is only one word to describe this: Awesome!

The U.S. Government created a requirement that by 2020, the majority of cars sold here must get at least 35 miles per gallon. This requires a big commitment on the part of auto makers and so the Energy Department was authorized last year to lend $25 billion dollars. The first round of financing is expected to be announced today with Ford, Nissan, and Tesla getting all getting a sizable chunk during this first round. GM and Chrysler both wanted a bunch of money too, but neither fit the criteria of being a “financial viable” so they were disqualified for this first round.

Nissan hasn’t announced how much the Japanese automaker has requested from the U.S. Government, but we know that Michigan-based Ford and California-based Tesla Motors Inc. are expected to get $5 billion and $450 million respectively.

This $25 billion fund was approved by Congress in 2008 to help auto makers retool facilities and speed up development of more energy efficient vehicles. It was the Government after all that decided that vehicles needed to reach an average of 35 miles per gallon by a random date instead of the natural evolution of development and technology.

As Matt will tell you, I know absolutely nothing about cars. Four wheels, a steering wheel, a couple of pedals—that’s the extent of my knowledge. That said, for whatever reason, I find myself getting into Formula One; it’s just fun! So, with that in mind, watch as I watch Force India’s team manager explain all the high-tech wonderment of a Formula 1 steering wheel.

A new bill floating around the New Jersey legislature would ban the use of GPS devices while driving. You already know why, too: it leads to unsafe driving. The bill was introduced on June 8, and would punish violators with a $100 fine.

Looking to take a Tesla electric car for a spin, are ya? Lucky you, as the company will be opening seven sales centers this summer — four in the US and three abroad. You’ll be able to take a test drive in New York, Seattle, Chicago, and Miami, along with London, Monaco, and Munich.

File this under “stuff that makes sense” and drop a carbon copy in the “why didn’t I think of that” folder. This is an in-vehicle power inverter with two AC outlets and a USB charging port in the shape of a coffee cup so it’ll fit perfectly in your car’s cupholder.

Now, I can’t say I feel one way or the other about Ford and Sync in particular, but this is a worthwhile milestone. Cars are changing fast, and although I doubt they’ll look like these F-Zero-wannabes any time soon, the coalescing of all those dash controls into a single unit is a serious advance. Ford’s Sync is the poster child for these systems, what with Microsoft’s backing and all that. Now, it may not come standard yet (in fact, it costs a mint to get the whole setup) but getting it into a million vehicles means that it’s no longer a niche add-on but a legit option.

I’m all for cool-looking concept cars, but the question that these designs attempt to answer is a bad one. What will cars look like in 50 years? With climate change, urban densification, and changing power sources for cars, it’s as close to impossible to tell. That shouldn’t stop futurists from imagining stuff, of course, but they should probably think more about the major forces affecting car design, and less about what would look cool in the next version of Extreme-G or F-Zero.

Remember the days when you could almost stand in the empty space within an engine compartment? Those were the days that all you needed was a good set of wrenches and a service manual to fix almost anything. But even today’s pickup trucks require random computers to diagnose and fix a lot of issues, which is taking a toll on local auto shops that aren’t “official” service centers.

A new survey shows that 1 in 4 Americans text while driving. That’s not good news for road safety, no sir.

Silicon Valley electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors got another shot in the arm today from German auto giant Daimler, which took a 10 percent stake in the company and expanded its partnership with Tesla to equip future Mercedes-Benz vehicles with electric lithium-ion batteries. Mercedes has been testing Tesla’s batteries in a fleet of 100 smart cars, and is already moving into limited production. But with this agreement, Mercedes now expects to roll out its first battery-powered Mercedes-Benz in 2010, and offer battery-powered vehicles for all of its models by 2012.

The amount invested was not disclosed, but even more valuable to Tesla is the vote of confidence from one of the world’s leading auto companies. In a press release, Daimler proclaims: “Tesla is the only production automaker selling a highway capable electric vehicle in North America and Europe.”

Instead of relying on superhuman strength via a panic-induced rush of adrenaline to be able to lift your car off the ground, why not just buy a car that only weighs 300 pounds to begin with? The “Spira4u” is such a car, made mostly (90%) of six-inch foam and with a top speed of 70 miles per hour. Oh, and it gets 100 miles to the gallon.

The Ford GT40 Series Car Mouse from RoadMice.com is a $50 wireless mouse stuffed in a replica Ford GT. This is definitely a mouse for car lovers and there’s apparently quite a market for car mice, as RoadMice.com offers about a skillion different models of wired and wireless mice that look just like real-life cars.

This is the Fusion Electronics CA-IP500. It’s an aftermarket car stereo that has a slot for your iPod. That is, you open the radio, slide in your iPod, and then listen to your iPod’s contents to your heart’s content. Why bother with such a device when you can accomplish the same thing with a $10 tape adapter? Because tape adapters leave unseemly wires hanging about. You don’t wake up in the morning and go to your job for that, now do you?

Missing a payment on a leased car might get a whole lot dicier in the near future as more and more dealerships are equipping vehicles with devices capable of disabling vehicles remotely. Termed “electronic reposession,” drivers will be reminded to pay the car’s bill thanks to a non-stop series of annoying beeps if payment hasn’t been received within 24 hours of the due date.

The battle of the EVs draws closer, and while I doubt it’ll the Ragnarok we all hope for, it should be an interesting fight. While Tesla is doing fine selling its high-end Roadster, the real competition will likely be around $40,000, give or take a few thousand. Of course, everybody’s ready for the Volt, but it seems that Mitsubishi is going to beat everyone to the market with the first consumer-oriented mass-produced electric vehicle (as opposed to enthusiast-oriented like Tesla’s models).

The iMiEV (bets on the name changing after the first year?) should be hitting the showrooms in Japan this Summer, and hopefully we’ll see it on our shores not too long after.

Ooots ooots oots! Just FYI: Some new Kia cars are ready to rock the party. These Kia speakers have an odd feature - LEDs that pulse or flash in time to the music you’re playing, thereby ensuring you look like the biggest tool on the road.

Sexy, no?

Tesla says that 520 S Model all electric sedans have been reserved by customers in first week since it was announced. Each customer must pay a $5,000 reservation fee, which is refundable if they choose not to buy the car. The base price for the Model S, which will be available starting in 2010, is $49,900 after a federal tax credit of $7,500. A limited editon of the Model S is available for a $40,000 reservation fee.

The Model S is the second car unveiled by Tesla after the sportier Roadster, and it’s half the price. But it’s no slouch on performance. The car will do 0-60 in 5.6 seconds (the Roadster is 3.9 seconds) and has an electronically limited top speed of 130 mph. The car should go up to 300 miles between charges. Best of all, I believe I may actually fit in the Model S. The Roadster isn’t fully compatible with people my size.

If you want one, you can reserve it here. You should get it by late 2011.

Tesla says they delivered 104 Roadsters in March and about 320 all time. The company has raised $186 million in capital to date, and has applied for $350 million in federal loans.