Comment Log Display

Instead of weakening the ZEV mandate, CARB must strengthen it!

1.  FUEL CELLS ARE A FRAUD AND A LIE.  The Board must admit and
acknowledge that its April, 2003 vote to crush battery EVs and
rely on fuel cells was based on false information and wishful
thinking.  Lobbyists from GM and Ford just plain lied and misled
CARB about the reality of fuel cells, despite public comment and
professional engineers warnings that it was bogus and lacked
reality.

2.  ELECTRIC CARS WORK, ARE STILL WORKING, AND MUST BE MADE
AVAILABLE FOR SALE.  No quotas, no lies, the ZEV mandate must be
not only adhered to, but accelerated.  The problem is, CARB is
relying on the flawed 1996 Memorandum of Agreement, which only
forced auto makers to produce a certain number of oil-free cars as
a demonstration project.  Now, that EVs are proven successful, CARB
must insist that they be OFFERED FOR SALE ON THE FREE MARKET
without trick or artifice, at a fair price and without lengthy
delivery delays.

3.  BANKED ZEV CREDITS ARE A MATTER OF PUBLIC RECORD, not trade
secret; the CARB legal department must be reproved for failing to
clarify this issue, and upbraided for failing to release the
banked ZEV credits.  According to the response from one Public
Records Request (PRR) I submitted, they don't even know how many
fuel cell cars are on the road, by manufacturer!  This is an
agency that spends $300M per year, and they don't even know these
vital, but perhaps embarrassing, numbers.

4.  Since we know that EVs work, the 2015 numbers must be moved
up.  GM now admits that it will produce an EV (plus
range-extender) in 2010: there should be no questioning that it
must be forced to make that EV available for sale, with no
numerical "quota" limiting production or allowing them to stop. 
No leasing of batteries, no "boomerang" leases, let GM determine
the technology.

5.  Abandon the "ZEV credits" mistake.  Rather than quotas, the
simple thing is to just make proven EVs available for sale.  Let
the manufacturers figure out what batteries; we know that NiMH
works, so let them figure out how to get permission from Chevron;
we know that lead-acid works, so let them find the right Panasonic
battery; we hope that lithium will work, so let them do research
while they produce regular, existing plug-in EVs.