GM’s EV1 - A car the world should have come to know a bit better.

[Tochatihu]

GM also showed the "Precept" as its outcome from PNGV. Never tried to sell any AFAIK.

Perhaps we could broaden the discussion to include clean, efficient vehicles that were 'dangled' but never delivered. Or would that be too depressing?

DAS

[pdk]

Originally Posted by warthog1984

The problem with that movie is that its wrong. The EV1, like the Insight, is not a practical car for most people. The GM guy even says it straight out- 4 people, 300 miles, and a trunk is the gold standard. Add a somewhat quick recharge capability and 10s 0-60 and most people will buy it. This will cover running errands or daytrips without totally draining the pack and make it a primary car.

That having been said, the EV1 and Insight were great Bridge cars. They should have been sold as low-volume, specialized vehicles and had engineers use them to prove the next generation as true production EVs/hybrids.

Apparently you missed the part that stated that the average daily commute is less than 30 miles, and that the EV-1 could meet the daily commuting needs of 90% of Americans. Most people do not drive 150 miles just to shop or go to work. The 300 mile range "need" is a bit of a misnomer.

The EV-1 was never intended to be a primary, big-trip car. It was meant to be an around-town car. It's perfect for daily commutes and community cars. A four-seater model would have been great, but the EV-1 would have been a perfect car for the great majority of driving situations.

[warthog1984]

Originally Posted by pdk

Apparently you missed the part that stated that the average daily commute is less than 30 miles, and that the EV-1 could meet the daily commuting needs of 90% of Americans. Most people do not drive 150 miles just to shop or go to work. The 300 mile range "need" is a bit of a misnomer.

Bzzz. wrong. Look at transportation stats. The 90% percentile of trips is in the day trip category.

Saying that a car is practical because it can go 50 miles before tanking and the average commute is 30 is asking for disaster. What about errands, running the kids to school, or just plain not running on Empty all the time?

The definition of a practical car is a common consensus item. How do I know that 90% of trips are over 30 miles and under 300? My senior paper was on creating a practical electric car. Time after time, design criteria and traffic stats agreed, 300 miles covers 95% of trips. 30 miles covers maybe 40%.

The movie is skewed. Its put together by EV proponents, that fine, I wouldn't expect it to be otherwise. however, its not an objective look at the problem.

Again, I'm not knocking the EV1, I'm saying that it wasn't the end solution. It was the first step.

If we had built off the EV1, the electric car could have been where hybrids are now.

[Chuck]

I'm glad we have a consensus that the EV1 was a first step...getting a niche EV on the roads is a step forward and California was planning to get zero emissions vehicles on a sliding scale to only 5% of total sales. Also consider that it takes at least ten years of new sales to replace what the public is driving. An EV1 would meet the needs of a niche population.

Who Killed the Electric Car? was a documentary with a pro EV POV, but it should be noted that Frank Gaffney, Mel Gibson, and James Woolsey are hardly who comes to mind as an "enviro wacko".

The movie accurately portrayed the automakers (all of them) as trying to sabotage the zero-emissions requirements. I'm not denying the limitations of the EVs, but it seems clear that the automakers were set to make this fail. It's consistant with their long history of opposing seat belts, cataylitic converters, etc, becuase if they are made to do it - "We'll all be riding tricycles" as Click and Clack recently commented.

[Prius Prime]

Back in the day--when I was a teacher, one of the other teachers' husbands was an electrical engineer who worked on the EV1--in fact they brought a test version (I'm thinking it was 1992??--about a year before they introduced it to California) to a party at the principal's house (they had to plug it in with a long extension cord!)--but we were all able to take a short ride in it--one by one! It was a very nice ride, quiet! and great acceleration. (kind of like my Prius)

Later after "Weekly Reader" had an article on the EV-1, I was able to help arrange a "visit" by the EV-1 to the school so that the kids could see the car. I remember that the engineers were all thrilled to have their car in "Weekly Reader".

There is an EV-1 in the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn Michigan. It sits there alone and I want to cry every time I see it for what could have been.

[shine0853]

"Who Killed The Electric Car" is an old video which tells the complete story of this car, how it was distroyed and why...Arnold CA's gov is in it along with the current, and soon to be X-President of US....made my stomach turn!

[Jimmy]

Yes, and the sad thing about the EV1, produced in the late '90s, was that it was far more advanced than the Chevy Volt - which MIGHT be produced by 2012 at a cost now predicted to be over $40,000.

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Originally Posted by Jimmy

...it was far more advanced than the Chevy Volt..

Jimmy, I had not heard this. In what way is is more advanced? I know the range was quite a bit larger, but beyond that?

[Jimmy]

The EV1 worked. It had highway speed capability and good range. It would not have been priced like the $40,000 PLUS Volt if it had ever become a vehicle that could be purchased rather than just leased. It was all-electric (zero emissions, no gasoline needed) vehicle. It was ahead of its time!

What did the executives at GM decide to do with the EV1? Destroy them all!

Now GM stock is hovering around $10 per share. Wonder why?

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Uh, examining the price table in the article itself, the second Gen absolutely would have been $40K+ -- and that is pre-inflation?

I'm still curious about why you think the Volt is inferior or the EV1 was "far more advanced?" As I understand it, the Volt is a direct ancestor of the EV1 with updated electronics and though a shorter range, 4 seats and a range extending generator. It is an update of an early model EV1 with a motorcycle engine tacked on for generating capability IIRC? As such, though it isn't fully EV anymore, doesn't that make the Volt essentially EV1 generation 3?