GM EV1 (1st Gen), 1996
INFORMATION
The General Motors EV1 was an electric car produced and leased by the General Motors Corporation from 1996 to 1999. It was the first mass-produced and purpose-designed electric vehicle of the modern era from a major automaker, the first GM car designed to be an electric vehicle from the outset along with being the first and only passenger car to be sold under the corporate General Motors (GM) name instead of being branded under one of its divisions.
The decision to mass-produce an electric car came after GM received a favorable reception for its 1990 Impact electric concept car, upon which the design of the EV1 drew heavily. Inspired partly by the Impact's perceived potential for success, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) subsequently passed a mandate that made the production and sale of zero-emission vehicles a requirement for the seven major automakers selling cars in the United States to continue to market their vehicles in California. The EV1 was made available through limited lease-only agreements, initially to residents of the cities of Los Angeles, California, and Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.
EV1 lessees were officially participants in a "real-world engineering evaluation" and market study into the feasibility of producing and marketing a commuter electric vehicle in select U.S. markets undertaken by GM's Advanced Technology Vehicles group. The cars were not available for purchase, and could be serviced only at designated Saturn dealerships. Within a year of the EV1's release, leasing programs were also launched in San Francisco and Sacramento, California, along with a limited program in the state of Georgia.
While customer reaction to the EV1 was positive, GM believed that electric cars occupied an unprofitable niche of the automobile market, and ended up crushing all their electric cars, regardless of protesting customers.
SPECIFICATIONS
ENGINE
• Engine : Electric
• Power: 102 kw (137 HP)
• Torque: 149 N.m (110 lb.ft)
• Engine location: Front
PERFORMANCE
• 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) Time = 6.3 secs
• Top Speed = 129 km/h (80 mph) [Limited by GM]
DRIVETRAIN
• Layout Front engine, Front-wheel drive system
• 1 Speed Direct drive transmission
Range
• 129 - 161 km's (80 - 100 miles) of standard driving
DIMENSIONS & WEIGHTS
• Weight: 1400 kg (3086 lbs)
• Length: 4310 mm (169.7 in)
• Width: 1765 mm (69.5 in)
• Height: 1283 mm (50.5 in)
• Wheelbase: 2512 mm (98.9 in)
For it's other fellow competitors please refer to the
alternative Fuel Sources page under electric cars.
