Toyota plans to recall all existing leased RAV4EV electric compact SUVs
when their leases expire. Electric vehicle advocates, after engaging with
the company privately without success, went public with their Don't Crush
Campaign: more info at http://www.dontcrush.com .

Here's CalCars' statement of support:

The California Cars Initiative, a driving force for the development of
100+MPG plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), urges Toyota to allow RAV4EV drivers to
keep and purchase their zero-emission, zero-gasoline cars. In doing so, we
join many electric vehicle (EV) and hybrid car owners, advocates for
solutions to global warming and energy independence, key public officials
and national organizations.

We urge Toyota, as a long-time leader in introducing advanced technology,
clean vehicles to a worldwide market, to recognize that it is in their
interest to keep these cars on the road.

And who better to continue driving them than their current leaseholders? In
the case of fleet vehicles, these cars should be offered first to
individuals in those companies, then to the public, including those who
missed out on them a few years ago, and would jump at the chance to buy one
now.

Many resourceful RAV4EV drivers fully power their cars by residential solar
energy -- so they contribute no greenhouse gases or emissions. One of these
passionate drivers -- echoing Charlton Heston's memorable words, has said,
"you'll have to pry my keys from my cold, dead hands."

Ford listened to its customers and agreed to sell Ranger EVs to
leaseholders. Will Toyota do as well? Ford got satisfactory releases from
liability and responsibility for lifelong service. Will Toyota accept the
same deal?

We are especially pleased that California EPA Secretary Alan Lloyd, who was
Chairman when the Air Resources Board offered Toyota incentives for
introducing RAV4EVs, has encouraged the company to remain "a shining beacon
of developing products to meet consumer environmental and economic goals"
by saving these cars. And California Senator Sheila Kuehl has appealed to
Toyota to maintain its "image of corporate responsibility and concern for
public health" by allowing people to drive cars that help keep California's
air clean.

While Toyota seems to treat these cars as black sheep, we at CalCars see
them as triumphant pioneers. They have paved the way to plug-in hybrid
vehicles (PHEVs) that operate as pure EVs for local travel but have the
extended gasoline range of any hybrid. (EV advocates point out that as
PHEVs gain acceptance, they may in turn create conditions for the eventual
return of production EVs.)

To CalCars, these vehicles have been strategically important:

* At a time when reducing dependence on imported, high-emissions gasoline
should be a national priority, high-performance EVS and PHEVs could enable
Toyota and other automakers to begin to promote the benefits of electric
fuel. We envision car companies replacing "you don't have to plug it in" ad
campaigns with "our cars re-fuel at home."
* Many studies cite RAV4EVs' efficient 300-400 watt/hours/mile to prove
that an EV, two-thirds cleaner when measured "well-to-wheels" than a
gasoline car on California electricity, produces 40% lower CO2 emissions
even when powered by the "dirty" (half coal) national grid.
* RAV4EV batteries turned out to last far longer than the projected 75,000
miles. These deep-discharge packs, designed over five years ago,
demonstrate that today's battery technologies are quite adequate for the
even less demanding requirements of PHEVs.
* When RAV4EV batteries in utility fleets approached 125,000 miles with
little degradation, new calculations by the Electric Power Research
Institute in 2003 showed that PHEVs, when mass-produced by car companies,
will have a lower lifetime cost of ownership than gasoline or non-plug-in
hybrid cars.
* RAV4EVs were a successful conversion project by an auto maker. Toyota's
"extension" of an existing line of vehicles helped inspire CalCars to
embark on PRIUS+, which then led EDrive Systems to go into business selling
conversions.

RAV4EVs had been forgotten by the general public. Today, their proposed
fate threatens, as Alan Lloyd says, to "tarnish the image" of the maker of
the world's most advanced hybrids.

Recently, studies, public officials and the national media have begun to
focus on PHEVs' promise. CalCars' 100+ MPG cars have been recognized as the
platform for 500MPG gasoline cars (with most of the power coming from
cleaner electric power and biofuels). And Toyota has evolved in some of its
public statements from skepticism about PHEVs to "we're listening."

We hope Toyota will heed so many voices and save these hundreds of great
RAV4EVs. If they do, their happy customers will praise Toyota's cars to the
world for years.


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Felix Kramer fkramer@...
Founder California Cars Initiative
http://www.calcars.org
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/priusplus/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/calcars-news
PO Box 61045 Palo Alto, CA 94306
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