Nobody killed their electric cars

When Nissan showed up unannounced with two flatbed trucks yesterday to haul away the city of Pasadena's zero-emission Hyperminis, officials were not amused. They didn't exactly blockade the yard where the cars were kept, but the Pasadena Star-News says that a mix of non-cooperation and a poor parking job by a city employee blocked Nissan's access. The paper quotes Nissan's hauler, Jeff Lawrence, saying "'I don't think they're going anywhere today." The city denied it was officially resisting Nissan, saying instead that they could not release the cars while an attorney was reviewing the paperwork. Nissan refused to renew Pasadena's lease for the electric cars and plans to grind them into scrap metal at a plant in Anaheim.

Photo: Walt Mancini/Star-News