My first car ever was a Chevy Geo Prizm. I still remember it fondly, as any “first” tends to be.
But then I watched the DVD “Who Killed The Electric Car?”
This documentary chronicles the saga of the first GM electric car, the
EV1. Its debut lease program was greeted with adoration and the EV1
quickly built a loyal fan base that included celebrities, environmental
activists, and regular Janes and Joes lucky enough to lay a hand on
these pure electric cars. They were none too happy when GM decided to
stop renewing the leases, and mounted a resistance to prevent GM from
taking back the cars, and later, crushing all that were returned. That
made me mad.
When
I first started writing for AskPatty.com, the images of the DVD were
hard to erase. I was psyched to be writing about cleaner cars and
better fuels, and do my own little part for the environment. But at
the back of my mind, there was a doubt about cars, in general, that I
could not erase. Cars definitely cause me a lot of conflicts. A
necessary evil, as my first blog ruminated.
Then
one day as an AskPatty blogger, I was invited to a participate in the
GM "Electric Drive University," a press event to test drive the Project Driveway
Equinox, a hydrogen fuel-cell car that was being tested, once again,
with lucky consumers in Los Angeles and New York area. I was a skeptic
when I got there, wary of the intention of publicity events but was
willing to see what this new development was about. The event was a
turning point for me. There, I learned about GM’s energy diversity
approach, met staff who seemed genuinely enthusiastic and excited about
alternative, cleaner car technology. Of course, GM is great at hosting
press events – we were treated like VIPs with excellent door-to-door
service, great accommodations, and delicious food. The “University”
was very educational. In fact, when I got home, my friends told me
that I had been brainwashed. I admit I did get quite influenced by the
well-trained GM folks who said all the right things about the Chevy
Volt, about their path to cleaner cars, but hey, companies can reform.
We should give such companies a chance and help them move forward on
socially responsible path.
Later, I talked to my professor at
the Presidio School of Management – Hunter Lovins, one of the pillars
of sustainability, and author of Natural Capitalism -- the bible of the
sustainability movement. Even she had a fairly positive opinion of GM,
so I started feeling a bit more positive about them.
That is – until last week. I read a shocking article about GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz comment that global warming is a “total crock of shit”.
I couldn't believe my eyes. That’s a bit frank, isn’t it? Especially
when your company is publicly committed about energy diversity and has
spent tremendous sums promoting its green image, marketing its
fuel-cell future car. That comment reignited my nagging doubt once
more.
Then last week, I chanced upon a Business Week article
about companies being half-heartedly green. In “Green—Up to a Point,”
the author laid out the case of how some companies in the U.S. Climate
Action Partnership (USCAP), which has publicly endorsed emission cuts,
are also “simultaneously supporting efforts and organizations that
oppose mandatory cuts in greenhouse gases or promote policies that
would make the USCAP reductions nearly impossible to meet.” For
example, GM and Chrysler also support the Heartland Institute, which
disputes man’s role in global warming. This makes me mad.
Adding
fire to the fuel (to my own feelings about GM), apparently GM and
Toyota are now expressing “doubts about the viability of hydrogen fuel
cells for mass-market production in the near term and suggested their
companies are now betting that electric cars will prove to be a better
way to reduce fuel consumption and cut tailpipe emissions on a large
scale,” according to Wall Street Journal. So much for a 2010 target date!
All
these developments make me really sad, and ever more cynical about big
American automakers It is too bad GM has squandered my hard-earned
trust. They have been doing so well, in my opinion, and in many
environmentalist's opinions… but are they really just playing both
sides? When will those cleaner cars materialize? I will believe them
again when I see a real car in the market with alternative fuel
engines. In the mean time, I will keep looking for a car company I can
conscientiously devote my loyalty to.
Marn-Yee Lee
Contributing Editor
AskPatty.com
Marn-Yee Lee is pursuing an MBA in Sustainability at the Presidio
School of Management in San Francisco. After spending a decade in I.T.
and on Wall Street, she is now pursuing her passion for the
environment. She sees business as a partner for creating innovative
solutions to pressing environmental issues. In her spare time, she
writes a blog to inspire others to consider the impact of their daily
lives on the environment at busythinking.blogspot.com.
bob lutz
