Another instance of an "electric car roundup" by the manufacturers....What gives? Why do they want these cars off the road?

http://www.evworld.com/view.cfm?sect...ue&newsid=8443

That's strange.

Toyota *sold* the Rav4 EV to other people... why not leasees?

troy

This is my conspiracy theory:


Somehow the automakers, government and oil producing companies have colaberated to balance eachothers needs.

-Government needs revenue from oil taxes
-Government needs to clean the air
-Government needs to control the cost of fuel to regulate commerce.

-Oil cartels are allied with governments based on those governments needs.
-Oil cartels dictate costs of oil on a couple of fronts.
1. The need of our government for the current regime to stay in power.
2. The ability to slow down production.

-Auto manufacturers have a strong role in the amount of oil produced.
-They have a need to sell a certain amount of cars
-They have a need to make a certain profit.

There is much more I would think, but this gives you an idea of what I'm talking about.

I figure this is how it plays out.
The government can't really get the cartels to increase production, and lower costs, so they sink millions into tax incentives along with R&D to allow the auto manufacturers to make money on a car that is being developed at face value at a loss. No company goes into something like this without incentives.

After they get a couple thousand out there, and the cartels start looking across the board at the demand going down for there product, they start negotiating more. At the same time the government isn't making the revenue off taxes on the oil, so they stop funding the automanufacturers who are making these cars.

Now, the car companies have started to build these at a profit, and have shown solid demand for this product, so they don't need government subsodies.
The government can't say, stop producing something we know benefits the ecosystem, and humanity.
However, the cartels can approach these companies with money to stop producing these cars, and if the money is good enough, I'm sure they will even crush a bunch of cars.

That is my conspiracy theory, and I'm sticking to it.

Good for you.

After all, without conviction, what credence would it have ?

Thanks!

Interesting theory..... but it's all just science fiction, until you provide proof.



Here's my theory (based upon facts):
- California has an air-quality problem
- California passed laws to mandate ~10% of all cars must be Zero Emission Vehicles by a certain date (2005?)
- Manufacturers didn't like the law, but they had no choice but to build the EVs, or else lose access to the world's fourth-largest economy (california)

- EVs cost a lot of money to build (~$40,000), making them a small niche product that only the rich can afford --- less than 1% of the population

- So manufacturers lobbied hard to eliminate the Zero Emission Requirement
- California compromised and gave partial credits to gasoline cars (0.2 for sulevs/0.4 for hybrids)
- Now manufacturers no longer need electrics. They can meet the law with ultra-clean gasoline cars.



REVIEW:
- EVs = too expensive for all but the rich (<1% market penetration)
- So manufacturers lobbied to change the ZEV law to allow gasoline cars
- Now they don't need EVs.

Simple. And no conspiracy involved.

Troy