Zero Emissions Vehicles Terminated
Yesterday in a bold move backwards, California’s Air Resource Board (CARB) voted to kill the electric car. Again.
Bowing to automaker pressure. Again.
Ignoring the concerns of California’s citizens. Again.
CARB reviews what is known as the Zero Emission Vehicle Program every 5 years. At one time, this cutting edge program pushed automakers to produce innovative pollution-free, petroleum-free electric vehicles like GM’s EV1, Toyota’s RAV4 EV, and Ford’s EV version of the Ranger pickup truck.
5 years ago when CARB last reviewed the program, they eviscerated the requirements, to which the automakers responded by terminating their EV programs. Most EVs had been leased, rather than sold - and at the end of the leases, the automakers began taking the cars back and crushing them. Ironically, today the EVs sell for astronomical prices on EBAY, the only place left where you can go to buy a Toyota or Ford EV.
Yesterday morning, automakers were required to produce 25,000 zero emission vehicles by 2014. But by the end of the day, CARB had voted to reduce the number of zero emission vehicles that the automakers are required produce to a paltry 7,500. Our regulators that are supposed to be looking out for everyone’s future, not just the automakers - but in California it’s the same old story. Once again, Ford, GM, Toyota and company are off the hook. And everyone who suffers from oil addiction and global warming will be paying the price.
2 Responses to “Zero Emissions Vehicles Terminated”
Leave a Reply
All comments offered in the spirit of civil conversation are welcome! Commercial spam, obscenity and other rude behavior are not, and will be removed. Valid email addresses are required. (RAN respects your privacy; we will not use, lend, or sell your email address for any reason.)
April 8th, 2008 at 3:38 am
This is a strange move, since apparently some people are willing to pay big bux, up to $100K, for an electric car…the hot, little 2-seat Tesla sprots car that can go up to 200-250 miles per charge, I believe, and hit 60 mph in 4 seconds!(sweet) The only thing to miss is the vrooom, vrooom. If I had the money I would get one myself…alas, I can’t even afford a Honda Hybrid…
April 8th, 2008 at 9:39 pm
Boo! Shame on them all. More fuel, more cars, more asphalt and highways. When will my tax dollars be prioritized for the ALTERNATIVE?
I say ride a bike. You can customize a sweet one for way less than any car, and think of all that energy you’ll save -even beyond the electric vehicle!