APPARENTLY, “GREEN” AUTOWORKERS AREN’T MUCH DIFFERENT FROM THE OLD-SCHOOL KIND: Using a forklift, the people in the videos crush a bodyshell against the wall, drop on from on high and then put it into a dumpster. At the end of the first video, someone says, “None of this shit ends up on YouTube.”

UPDATE: In the mail, a press release from Aptera Motors. Key bit:

The videos were taken approximately eight months ago at Aptera’s Oceanside facility, which the company officially exited in May 2011. However, the posters of these videos have tried to portray these clips as an angered response from Aptera employees at the recent closure of the company. These claims are completely false.

The bodies in question were not slated for demolition because on any ill will or malice from any member of the company present or past. These particular 2e’s were defective and/or obsolete development properties that no longer had any value to the company. We destroyed the bodies because they were unsafe for use as a vehicle — with high potential for loss of life if they were involved in a crash. (This is evidenced by the upper body and lower skins separating from each other on impact.)

While the company often engages in technology sharing with academic institutions (area elementary, middle and high schools, universities and museums, we never released vehicle assets that had the potential of being misused and resulting in physical harm or loss of life.

Contrary to the stories that have been written recently, there was no destruction of company property during the closure of Aptera.

Well, good. I have to say, though, the video did look bad.