Toyota won't crush RAV4 EVs; pressure continues; KQED Perspective airs
Jul 15, 2005 (From the CalCars-News archive)

Here's the latest news from the dontcrush campaign:

Toyota has agreed to stop crushing salable, useable RAV4 EVs!!!! With
several hundred cars left out there, this is dontcrush.com's biggest win
yet, and we applaud Toyota's choice to be responsive to their customers!!!

During the course of a 2-hour meeting with Toyota today, the dontcrush.com
negotiating team worked out the following points, which will be finalized
in writing over the next few weeks:

* No more usable cars will be crushed- the definition of "usable" is still
to be worked out.
* Current lessees shall have the option to continually renew their leases
as long as the vehicle is usable, as defined by Toyota and the consumer.
* Toyota will re-examine their policy of not selling fleet RAVs and attempt
to give current lessees the option to purchase their vehicles outright.
* Toyota will create a process by which RAV4 EVs deemed not salable or
usable will be dismantled for parts to be used by the remaining vehicles. *
* Vehicles neither re-leased nor purchased will continue to be used; they
will be sold to the public, used in the Toyota corporate fleet or made
available for use by non-profit organizations.

The specifics of these points will continue to be worked out by
dontcrush.com, but this is a huge victory!!! We'd like to thank everyone
involved in supporting us through writing letters, providing statements,
donations etc. Until these steps are finalized and put in writing, however,
it's important that we will be at Power Toyota of Cerritos on Saturday,
July 16, 2005, from 1-3pm: Power Toyota Cerritos 18700 Studebaker
Rd Cerritos, CA 90703
Come join us in our ongoing victory- we look forward to seeing you there,
and will continue to keep you posted!

CalCars supported the effort -- see
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news/message/64
along with so many groups and public officials listed at dontcrush.com, and
we couldn't be happier with the result. Thanks to the dedicated band of
advocates and drivers!

In the spirit of keeping on the pressure, tomorrow KQED 88.5FM in San
Francisco and KQEI 89.3FM in Sacramento will broadcast my two-minute
"Perspective" on the topic. Taped last week, you can hear it live Friday at
6:07, 7:37AM and 11:33PM and Sunday at 7:37AM

Here's the transcript:

A green guy sees red. Felix Kramer has this perspective.

Usually, I'm all for recalls. I applaud firms that take back products with
problems -- like unsafe toys or toxic drugs.

But what if there IS no defect? What if a car maker just wants to repossess
electric cars that drivers now lease and love?

THAT kind of recall makes a green guy like me see red!

Who's the repo man? Can Toyota, that pioneer of clean cars, really treat
smoothly running, silent vehicles like piles of empty beer cans?

Alas, it's true. According to dontcrush.com, Toyota plans to take back
hundreds of electric SUVs as soon as their leases expire.

I don't get it. Why can't Toyota just let RAV4 EV drivers buy the zero-gas
cars they now lease? They're a passionate bunch. Indeed, one recently
announced, paraphrasing Charlton Heston, "You'll have to pry my keys from
my cold, dead hands."

Recently, Ford agreed to sell ITS Ranger EVs to leaseholders -- after being
excused from liability and lifelong service. Why won't Toyota cut the same
deal? The company offers lame excuses about being short on replacement
parts. But here they're crushing their best supply of spares.
Important people are asking questions. State EPA Secretary Alan Lloyd, who
helped get Toyota incentives for introducing EVs, has encouraged the firm
to do the right thing. State Senator Sheila Kuehl has called on Toyota to
hang onto its image of "corporate responsibility and concern for public
health."

Some RAV4 EVs recharge from rooftop photovoltaic systems and emit nothing.
Those that run on California's electricity are two-thirds cleaner than
gasoline cars. And contrary to the prevailing wisdom, even when fueled by
our dirty, half coal, national grid, they're forty percent lower in
greenhouse gases.

Still, Toyota treats these SUVs like black sheep. RAV4 EVs do THEIR part
for energy independence. They deserve honor, as predecessors of today's
popular hybrids -- and future advanced hybrids with the option to plug in.

Please, Toyota, don't crush your creations -- the cars that people love to
refuel at home.

With a perspective, I'm Felix Kramer.

Felix Kramer is founder of CalCars.org, a group that just turned a Toyota
Prius into a 100+miles per gallon plug-in hybrid.