I wrote to Toyota to ask them what they were doing with the RAV4 EVs that were coming off lease from the LADWP. This is how they responded.
Thank you for contacting Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Your interest in Toyota is appreciated.
Toyota does not support retail sales of fleet vehicles when they reach
the end of their lease. The fleet vehicles are typically used in
commercial applications, are subject to harsh duty cycles and
accumulate high miles. As we expected, at the end of the lease period,
most are ready to retire from service. As parts supplies diminish,
most of these vehicles are not feasible (parts no longer available)
nor cost-effective (parts are too expensive) to operate or support.
Therefore, we decided to recycle most of RAV4-EVs that we could
recover at the end of five years. Vehicles that are returned to Toyota
and are still technically supportable are being placed in community
service programs where they assist with sustainability efforts. These
include national parks, universities, and station car programs. Most
recently, off-lease RAV4s have been placed with the Catalina Island
Conservancy, Pt. Reyes National Seashore, and the Santa Monica
Mountains National Recreational Area.When a customer does return a RAV4 EV that is in good condition, it
will continue to be put into service through community groups and our
company fleet. Because many are reaching the end of their sustainable
life, we need to keep close tabs on every car and we would not want to
burden a customer with the technical costs associated with an aging
vehicle.Toyota is not “crushing” sustainable RAV4 EVs. In fact, we are committed to keeping as many serviceable RAV4-EVs on the road as possible. We will continue to monitor this situation closely. When these cars reach the end of their sustainable life, we feel we have a responsibility to recycle certain materials and dispose of hazardous materials, such as the battery pack, properly. Toyota has a rigorous process for retiring the EVs that maximizes the recovery of recyclable components and minimizes the exposure of substances of concern. For instance, all fluids and refrigerants are removed, the battery is deactivated and sent to a certified battery recycler, and the de-contented vehicle is then sent to a certified destruction facility. All recyclable metals, plastics, fibers, glass and rubber are separated for re-use.
Your email has been documented at our National Headquarters under file
#200610091351. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to
contact us.Toyota Customer Experience
For those of you who thought Toyota was interested in furthering a break from the use of petroleum, I am afraid that you were mislead. If you ever believed the Toyota was different from GM, and believed that they ever were going to let these vehicles out to the general public or keep them in service for a long period of time. It seems we were deceived. It looks like that they let some RAV4-EVs go to key people in the movement to stop electric vehicles from being crushed to lower their personal activism towards Toyota, but the for the rest of the vehicles they leased out… they are not proverbially crushing the vehicles, they are literally crushing the
vehicles.
Toyota has a rigorous process for retiring the EVs that maximizes the
recovery of recyclable components and minimizes the exposure of
substances of concern.
Yea. I would say that Toyota’s retiring process is rigorous.
For instance, all fluids and refrigerants are removed, the battery is deactivated and sent to a certified battery recycler, and the de-contented vehicle is then sent to a certified destruction facility.
(There is no such word as “de-contented” however, if I were
about to be sent to a destruction facility I would be de-contented too.)
Now, what does a “certified destruction facility” do? It makes sure that what you give them is destroyed. You can either verify that the (in this case) vehicle is destroyed in person or they will send you a digital picture of (in this case) the vehicle being destroyed. Click on the picture below to see and learn more.
A certified destruction facility is a car crushing and shredding facility. Hit the “Gallery” on the lower left side of the website of the image link above and see all the gruesome pictures. Remind you of something in our recent past? Something that got our entire collective ire up? Something that included EV1s?
How many vehicles does Toyota believe are ready for retirement at the end of their leases? Toyota says “most.”
As we expected, at the end of the lease period, most are ready to retire from service.
The definition of “most” means… “The greatest number or the majority of a class specified: ie. Most of his writing is rubbish.” Dictinary.com
We now know what “retire” means to Toyota. It means that the vehicles are sent to a “certified destruction facility,” which we now know means they are being crushed and shredded.
I feel I am on a freaking Mary-Go-Round with the automobile manufacturers.
It goes on. Look how similar the Toyota’s keeping close tabs on their EVs is to GM’s.
Because many are reaching the end of their sustainable life, we need to keep close tabs on every car and we would not want to burden a customer with the technical costs associated with an aging vehicle.
Toyota, I have an aging gasoline powered RAV4. How come you are not banging down my door to save me from the burdens and technical costs associated with my aging vehicle? You know and I know what Toyota is saying is a bunch of rubbish. The agreement with DontCrush I thought stated very clearly that the RAV4 EVs would not be crushed. At this point that agreement is a pile of buffalo poop. Toyota is putting out to the public that they are doing something different based on the DontCrush agreement, but in reality Toyota is only using that agreement to provide a smoke screen to what they are really doing. What they are really doing is the same thing as before, which is crushing electric cars. They are just doing it a year or two later. We need to do something.
Here is what I need you to do.
There are two ways you can help. Many of you have seen the movie, Who Killed the Electric Car? That movie chronicled the valiant efforts of a group of Californians who tried to save the last of the remaining EV1 electric cars from GM and its crusher. They failed. The EV1s were taken away and murdered. This time the murderers may be LADWP and Toyota. LADWP has some 74 RAV4-EVs whose leases are ending. I have talked about this problem before, but now is crunch time. The LADWP needs to know that Americans as well as Californians would prefer to see these RAV4-Electric Vehicles released to the public.
If Toyota gets a hold of these vehicles they will more likely than not crush them.
If you live in the Los Angeles area, The Board of Water and Power Commissioners meets regularly on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at 1:30 p.m. Next meeting is October 17. The meeting location is:
Los Angeles Department of Water and Power
Room 1555-H, 15th Floor
111 North Hope Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
If you live outside the LA area you might want to send LADWP an Email expressing how you feel about their returning these vehicles to Toyota to be retired/crushed.
Write something like this:
Dear Commissioners,
H. DAVID NAHAI President
EDITH RAMIREZ Vice President
MARY D. NICHOLS Commissioner
NICK PATSAOURAS Commissioner
FORESCEE HOGAN-ROWLES CommissionerLos Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) has some 74 RAV4 Electric Vehicles whose leases are running out. These are all electric vehicles. No GASOLINE! At the end of the leases these electric vehicles will most likely be returned to Toyota and Toyota plans to retire most of these vehicles by crushing them. We, the public, do not want these vehicles crushed or dismantled or destroyed like pervious electric vehicles returned to Toyota by the LADWP were. What we would like is for these vehicles to be sold to the public. Toyota has assured DontCrush.com now Plug-in America that they would offer the RAV4-EVs for sale to its lease holders. We ask you please to purchase the vehicles and make them available to the public. A group of committed individuals from across the country stand ready to take these vehicles off your hands and are ready to reimburse you for every vehicle you purchase away from Toyota. Commissioners we plead with you to do the right thing and allow us to save these vehicles and place them in the hands of those of us who are truly committed to reducing California’s, LA’s and our personal carbon foot print.
This is a very special vehicle. It is called the Toyota RAV4 EV. They emit no noxious gasses. None. A Zero Emissions Vehicle. They run on the electricity from your home. Unfortunately, many of these types of vehicles have been hunted down and crushed to extinction. Already extinct is the GM EV1, the Honda, EV+ and the Nissan EV Mini. These vehicles are not a protected species, which is to say that there are no laws preventing the extinction of the RAV4 EV. Most are in captivity in large organizations such as the LADWP. What we want to do is to allow them to be adopted by families that will love them, treat them well and save on gasoline and green house gasses. Won’t you help?
This is a RealPlayer video which talks about a letter that DontCrush.com wrote to Toyota asking them not to crush the RAV4 EV.
This is a Qwicktime movie of a commercial that I don’t believe ever aired.
the http://www.darnellworks.com/…
Here is how to contact Toyota’s PR department.
http://toyota.custhelp.com/…
Click the radio button that says “I would like to tell you about my experience with…”
Then under Select a Topic: Select “Company” in the pull down menu.
Under Select a sub-topic: Choose “Public Relations.”
Then click next.
Under User ID put in your Email address.
Under Subject put in Sell the LADWP’s Rav4 EVs to the public.
Under Question Please put something like this.
What are you planning to do with the RAV4 EVs now being leased by LADWP whose leasing contract is ending soon? Please make the RAV4 EV electric vehicles that are coming off lease from the LADWP and other places available to people who want to purchase them. We do not want them crushed, destroyed or removed from use. We believe that at a time of crisis with gasoline in the United States and around the world it would be a poor public relations move to take away these vehicles when they could do the most good to help with the crisis. Please make the entire fleet of vehicles coming off lease available for the general public and to other organizations for purchase. Thank you.
Toyota is a member of the Electric Drive Transportation Association, contact them to put pressure on Toyota to make this species of vehicle available to the general public.
http://www.electricdrive.org/…
Write to them directly at: info@electricdrive.org
Thank you for all your help in the all important work of saving this rare but important vehicle.
Sincerely, Joseph Lado (c:}
PS. If you see Dough Korthof or Paul Scott at the LADWP meeting, tell them Joe Lado sent you. JL