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GM pulls plug on electric cars


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GM pulls plug on electric cars

Last Updated Thu, 10 Apr 2003 10:11:44

DETROIT - General Motors will scrap its electric car program in light of California relaxing its zero-emission car program.

 

 

 

The automaker says it's taking the cars off the road as leases expire because it can no longer supply parts for them.

 

GM built more than 1,000 two-seater EV1 cars. About 375 are still in use. Dave Barthmuss of GM says the company expects to have the cars off the road by the end of 2004.

 

 

MARKETPLACE: Electric Cars

 

The automaker plans to ship the cars to museums and universities and to a research lab in New York.

California announced a zero tolerance program on car emissions in 1990 requiring 10 per cent of cars to be non-polluting by 2003. That edict had car manufacturers scrambling to meet the new rules.

 

Since then, regulators have started to cave as automakers fought the regulation in court and public hearings.

 

 

FROM Jan. 6, 2003: More eco-friendly cars in near future

 

Only two years ago, GM had proclaimed the EV1 as the "car of the future."

It now says the vehicles have no future because they are limited to a range of about 160 km, require long recharge times and are too expensive to appeal to the general population.

 

Most automakers have retreated from battery-powered cars and are looking more at gas-electric hybrids, natural-gas powered and fuel-cell cars. GM and Suzuki announced in September they would build a hybrid truck at a plant in Ingersoll, Ontario.

 

The Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight are the two best-selling hybrid cars in North America.

 

"To us driving battery electric vehicles, we're saying, 'Hey you're left us hanging out to dry,'" says Greg Hanssen of the Production Electric Vehicle Drivers Coalition.

 

Hanssen says state regulators have bent to the complaints of industry.

 

"They've gone from being regulators to just asking politely, 'Gee, industry, would you do this?'"

 

 

Written by CBC News Online staff

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i read somewhere that in a study toyota did

that they would actually end up having to give an electric rav4 to people

instead of them purchasing it and give them a few thousand dollars

for them to even consider driving it

 

now that is hilarious

i think the article was in car and driver but im not sure

 

also i think that honda hybrid car would be pretty cool

if it didnt have skirts on the rear fenders

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Seems like a biased article since there's not mention of Hydrogen research.

 

I just saw a report on how GM is leading the research on zero emission Hydrogen based transportation. They've already invested $1 Billion and are working with the US Government to get more funding.

 

Hydrogen seems to be a far better, as well as more ecologically sound alternative than electric motors.

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Originally posted by Misteraven

Seems like a biased article since there's not mention of Hydrogen research.

Hydrogen seems to be a far better, as well as more ecologically sound alternative than electric motors.

 

well it wasnt a comparitive article

it was just based on a research group toyota put together

because they were planning on releasing an all electric rav4

 

i have the magazine with the article somewhere in my room but i cant find it at the moment

 

hydrogen does seem to be a very good alternative

and as far as my understanding goes there wouldnt have to be much modification

to current gas engines to convert them to hydrogen

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