Calculating ZEV Requirements

John O’Dell’s Feb. 2 article “A Clean Air Detour?” greatly overestimated the number of zero-emissions vehicles, or ZEVs, that major auto makers are required to produce beginning in 2003 under existing California law.

In fact, the number of ZEVs required in 2003 is very modest, plus auto makers have significant flexibility in the actual number of ZEVs they would produce.

Honda Motor Co., for example, would be required to produce about 2,600 ZEVs in 2003, or about 1.5% of total sales in California, based upon its EV Plus model, which sold out in 1999. More important, if Honda produced only 600 of these vehicles before 2003, it could reduce its 2003 requirement to about 1,500.

If Ford Motor Co. chose to produce ZEVs with less than 100-mile range in 2003, then it would have to make about 7,500, which is a little more than 2% of its total vehicle sales in California. But if Ford chose to produce ZEVs with the same range as the Honda vehicle (125 miles), it would only have to make 2,800. And if Ford produced only 600 of these vehicles before 2003, it could reduce its 2003 requirement to 1,750.

DAVID L. MODISETTE

Executive Director,

California Electric Transportation

Coalition, Sacramento