Several electric car supporters were arrested at a around-the-clock vigil outside a General Motors Corp. (GM, Detroit, MI) training center in Burbank, CA, to protest the destruction of the company's EV1 electric cars. More than 70 EV1s had been stored at the center, and were destined to be destroyed at a recycling plant near Mesa, AZ.
General Motors, which says the cars never became popular enough to turn a profit, has declined the group's offer to pay $1.9 million for the vehicles. The company said the cars must be destroyed because there isn't enough supply of the car's 2,000 parts. That could make the vehicles unsafe and lead to lawsuits, GM contends.
The group, which includes environmentalists, technology enthusiasts and entertainment industry workers, said the month-long vigil would continue.
