Saturn's EV1 Electric Car

funeral
Originally uploaded by recyclingfan.

Try to follow this: General Motor's EV1 electric car was introduced in California. I believe the most recent model was a 1999. The car was marketed as a 3 year lease only, with roadside assistance. There were recharging locations across California and Arizona. GM didn't make a profit on the cars, so once the leases were up, they took back the cars. Since there aren't enough spare parts (that's what GM says) and since they are afraid of liability suits, GM decides to have all the EV1's destroyed in Mesa, Arizona (known for being an airplane graveyard). Protestors blocked the latest shipment of cars to Mesa. Some were arrested. One lease holder actually held a funeral for his car before he returned it to GM. One environmental group offered $1.9 million for 70 EV1's (that's about $27,000 per car) and GM refused. Get this: the cars are smashed and junked in Arizona! Does this make sense to anyone?