On January 4, 1996, General Motors announced the production of an all-electric car at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The first-generation EV1 had a 16.5kWh battery pack good for 60 miles per charge. It had a list price of $33,995, but GM only leased it to consumers.
GM built 1,117 EV1 vehicles between 1996 and 1999. However, it didn’t take long before the automaker decided it was not commercially viable, ending the project.
EV1s were leased to consumers and on the road until 2003, when they were pulled off and destroyed.
Today marks 22 years since the debut of the EV1. How far has electric technology come in the last two decades, and are we any closer to acceptance on a worldwide scale?
The controversy behind GM’s decision to annihilate the cars is another topic for another day, but needless to say, the EV1 is long gone, save for a few copies that exist in museums. (As an interesting piece of trivia, the EV1 is the only car to ever be sold under the General Motors brand, rather than being assigned to one of the company’s divisions.)
In some respects, the EV1 was ahead of its time. The car, in spite of its 1996 creation date and futuristic 1990s design, was remarkably comparable to the electric cars released in the early 2010s. Later models of the EV1 could accelerate from 0-60 in about 9 seconds and go up to 90 miles per charge, roughly the same as the first-generation 2011 Nissan Leaf.
The late 1990s and early 2000s also saw the electric Honda EV Plus (available only via a lease), which paved the way for the first Insight hybrid.
We may reach the tipping point for EVs sooner rather than later; there’s a perfect storm brewing that could launch EVs into the mainstream. Nearly all major automakers are planning to electrify their fleets, with many introducing multiple EVs by the early 2020s. Fewer automakers will introduce new hybrids.
Bloomberg quoted an executive at research firm LMC Automotive as saying,
How long have we been talking about EVs? We’re now finally seeing them in numbers, but the sales numbers are not taking over the industry by any means.
Consumers still prefer their transportation to be powered by fossil fuels. The reasons range: Some consumers find that fossil fuels are easier on their wallets. Others prefer to hear the purr of an engine.
The quote was accompanied by this chart, showing how automakers are doubling down on electric over the next few years:
The Chevrolet Bolt EV has been joined by Tesla and its Model 3, along with Ford, Nissan, Volkswagen, and others with plans to build electric cars with ranges approaching 300 miles. As a nationwide charging infrastructure begins to take shape, we are reaching the point where an EV takeover is all but inevitable. Those cars will start hitting the market as major countries begin the process of phasing out gas- and diesel-powered cars. Why? These automakers need to continue to innovate.
This time, whether we like it or not, electric cars are here to stay.
Have we come far enough in the electric car revolution?
-tgriffith
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GM’s EV1 Paved the Way for Today’s Electric Cars posted first on http://www.cargurus.com/blog/
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