CALSTART:
04/29/1999 - Honda's EV Pull-Out to be Examined by CARB?
Sacramento, Calif. - After Honda Motor Corp. quietly quit building its 'EV Plus' battery-electric car to begin producing hybrid-electric 'V V' cars (News Notes 4/26/99), a California Air Resources Board (CARB) official said the action could be a violation of Honda's compromise zero-emission-vehicle agreement, reports the Los Angeles Times. Tom Cackette, CARB's chief deputy director, said, 'We're highly disappointed in Honda. We are concerned that this violates their agreement with the board to continue to produce battery-electric vehicles if customer demand warrants it' - and said the board will investigate. Honda officials, in return, said they complied with 'both the letter and spirit of the agreement.' While Honda claims it was unsuccessful in developing demand for its EV Plus, some critics say the car was never seriously marketed, supplies to dealers were limited and harsh leasing requirements were imposed to restrict sales. Meanwhile, General Motors, Ford, Toyota, DaimlerChrysler and Nissan say they will continue developing battery-electric EVs while pursuing other technologies such as hybrids and fuel-cell hybrids.
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