More than half a billion dollars. That's what the government -- specifically, the Energy Department -- handed over to Fisker for the development of (relatively) affordable electric plug-in cars.

Some of the cash will go toward shoring up the Fisker Karma, the poster car for the company, which could conceivably shore up Fisker's ability to produce lower-cost vehicles (the Karma runs about $87,900). The bulk of the dough, however, will go to Project Nina, which tackles the design, engineering and assembly of a plug-in electric that runs closer -- at $39,900 after tax credits -- to a Mercedes C-Class than to an Audi A8.

Part of the windfall is due to the fact that Fisker will be developing the car here in the States, something that the company expects to save or create 5,000 U.S. jobs among auto suppliers, plus thousands more on the manufacturing end.

Fun fact: The project's name, Nina, comes from one of the ships that sailed with Christopher Columbus and is meant to represent the transition from old world to new in the automotive industry.