GM crushed all of its electric cars ~ Pulling the plug on a dream

E. Barry Bruyea wrote:
> On 30 Jun 2006 06:55:52 -0700, wrote:
>
> >
> >E. Barry Bruyea wrote:
> >
> >It is no wonder you joined the XNAY brigade.
> >If my posts were as stupid as yours, I would
> >be ashamed to have them archived for posterity
>
> Read below. You weren't a science major, I gather.

Once again E Barry assumes and makes an ass of himself
> >
> >> On 29 Jun 2006 06:41:41 -0700, wrote:
> >>
> >> >Pulling the plug on a dream
> >> >GM crushed all of its electric cars,
> >> >but it didn't dim the ardor of two enthusiasts.
> >> >By Susan King | Times Staff Writer
> >> >
> >> >June 29, 2006
> >> >
> >> >It was reported last week that General Motors Corp. is developing a
> >> >hybrid-electric car with a battery that could be recharged at any
> >> >outlet.
> >> >
> >> >With soaring gas prices and increasingly dire news about global warming
> >> >- including the Al Gore documentary "An Inconvenient Truth" - GM's
> >> >plans could be seen as a step in the right direction.
> >> >
> >> >calendarlive.com/printedition/calendar/cl-wk-movies29jun29,0,2927615.story?track=tothtml
> >> >
> >> >Ironically, however, it was General Motors that produced the first
> >> >modern electric car back in 1996 - the EV1. Then it quite literally
> >> >took the cars out of the hands of drivers and destroyed the vehicles.
> >> >
> >> >"Who Killed the Electric Car?," a documentary that opened Wednesday,
> >> >examines the short life and death of the EV1 and why GM crushed the
> >> >fleet in the Arizona desert.
> >> >
> >> >"I didn't start off thinking I was making a conspiracy movie," says
> >> >director Chris Paine, who leased an EV1 from 1997 to 2003. "We kept
> >> >waiting for major media outlets to do the story."
> >> >
> >> >It's a complicated story - sort of a vehicular version of "Murder on
> >> >the Orient Express" - with the auto manufacturers, the government,
> >> >the oil companies and consumers all sharing blame in the demise of the
> >> >EV1.
> >> >
> >> >Sixteen years ago, the California Air Resources Board realized that the
> >> >pollution crisis in the state had reached epidemic proportions and smog
> >> >threatened the public's health. To rein in toxic auto exhausts, the
> >> >board announced the Zero Emissions Mandate, which required 2% of new
> >> >vehicles sold in California to be emissions free by 1998 and 10% by
> >> >2003.
> >> >
> >> >Though Toyota and Ford also developed electric cars, General Motors'
> >> >EV1 was considered the most reliable. It required no gas, no oil
> >> >changes and no mufflers. The only maintenance needed was on the brakes,
> >> >tires and windshield-washer fluid. It was fast and modern and could go
> >> >approximately 100 miles on a charge. The cars leased for $400 to $500 a
> >> >month.
> >> >
> >> >"I got my EV1 in 1997," said Paine. "I had to seek it out a little bit
> >> >and was pretty early to get in line to get one. I had no idea how
> >> >amazing it was to drive an electric car."
> >> >
> >> >Eventually, though, the 2,000 or so people who leased the EV1 - GM
> >> >didn't sell the cars - slowly discovered that their leases weren't
> >> >being renewed.
> >> >
> >> >Paine said he lost his car in 2003 after taking it to a dealership to
> >> >get the wheels checked. When he called to pick it up, he learned it had
> >> >been returned to GM. Paine was shocked, especially since he had a few
> >> >months left on his lease.
> >> >
> >> >"They said, 'We will give you a loaner car and a coupon for another
> >> >fine Saturn vehicle,' " he recalled. "It was very odd. They just
> >> >wouldn't tell me where it was."
> >> >
> >> >Executive producer Dean Devlin ("Independence Day," "Godzilla") had a
> >> >similar experience.
> >> >
> >> >"My father had the first EV1 that was brought to California," Devlin
> >> >said. He got his own EV1 in 1998 and lost it in 2003.
> >> >
> >> >"I got a letter saying my lease was up and they expected me to turn the
> >> >car in," Devlin explained.
> >> >
> >> >"I called lawyers and said, 'What would happen if I didn't turn the car
> >> >in?' and 'Could we fight this?' I was advised I would be prosecuted for
> >> >stealing the car! They did an inspection of the car and for every
> >> >little scratch they charged me. Then they took the car away from me and
> >> >promptly crushed it."
> >> >
> >> >"It's like they were trying to erase history," Paine said. "Like what
> >> >happened at the Smithsonian when they took the EV1 out of display the
> >> >week before our movie opens. They removed it from the General Motors
> >> >Hall of Transportation. The Smithsonian said they took it out because
> >> >they are remodeling the museum and it had nothing to do with the movie.
> >> >But they are replacing it with an SUV!"
> >> >
> >> >The EV1's fate was sealed in 2000 when GM Vice Chairman Harry Pearce
> >> >said there was "no particular need" to continue building electric cars.
> >> >
> >> >In 2002, GM, DaimlerChrysler and seven San Joaquin Valley auto
> >> >dealerships sued the California Air Resources Board in a U.S. District
> >> >Court in Fresno to repeal the Zero Emissions Mandate.
> >> >
> >> >The following year, the board declared that auto manufactures no longer
> >> >had to make electric cars. Instead, they were required to produce a mix
> >> >of fuel cell vehicles, gas-electric hybrids and partial emission
> >> >vehicles beginning in 2008.
> >> >
> >> >Both Devlin and Paine still drive electric cars - the Toyota RAV4 EV,
> >> >which the company stopped producing in 2003, citing poor sales. And
> >> >they are high on hybrids.
> >> >
> >> >"They are getting people used to the idea of electricity in the car and
> >> >they are showing the auto company you can make money on these things,"
> >> >Paine said. "So this is a great steppingstone. But they are still gas
> >> >cars and we think this is really a trade-off with the gas companies."
> >> >
> >> >"Our belief is the plug-in hybrid is really the future," Devlin said.
> >> >
> >> >"Who Killed the Electric Car?" doesn't lay all the blame for the EV1's
> >> >death on GM and the oil companies, Devlin said, because "the truth of
> >> >the matter of the story is that the car companies made the car because
> >> >they were forced by a California mandate. The irony is that they made
> >> >probably the greatest car they ever made - a car that was so good it
> >> >actually threatened the status quo. That's why there were so many
> >> >suspects in the murder."
> >> >
> >> >Copyright 2006 Los Angeles Times
> >>
> >>
> >> What idiocy. If the Electric car had gone into wide use, where the
> >> hell did California think it was going to get all the electricity to
> >> recharge the damn things? Think about it, 6:00 P.M. and suddenly a
> >> million electric cars plugged into the system to recharge. Talk about
> >> your brown outs.
> >
> >The "idiocy" is all yours, E Barry.
> >As long as the car is rolling an alternator keeps the
> >battery charged.
> >Momentum is a marvelous thing <G>
>
>
> So is stupidity; what you've described is a perpetual motion machine,

assume again -- fool

> something that somehow, science has yet to invent. An ALL electric
> car has to be recharged and, strangely enough, it takes electricity to
> recharge the battery. Most Electric cars have been limited to about
> 100 miles without recharging.