General Motors EV1

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General Motors EV1 EV1
Manufacturer General Motors
Production 1996-1999 (1,117 units)
1997 Model Year: 660 Gen I units
1999 Model Year: 457 Gen II units
Assembly GM Lansing Craft Centre, Lansing, Michigan, United States
Predecessor GM Impact (prototype)
Successor Chevrolet Volt
Class Electric subcompact car
Body style(s) 2-seat, 2-door coupé
Layout FF layout
Engine(s) 3-phase AC induction
electric motor with
IGBT power inverter
137 bhp (102 kW) at 7000 rpm
110 lb·ft (149 N·m) at 0-7000 rpm
Transmission(s) Single-speed reduction integrated with motor and differential
Wheelbase 98.9 in (2,512 mm)
Length 169.7 in (4,310 mm)
Width 69.5 in (1,765 mm)
Height 50.5 in (1,283 mm)
Curb weight 3,086 lb (1,400 kg)
with Lead-acid batteries
2,908 lb (1,319 kg)
with NiMH batteries

The General Motors EV1 was an electric car produced and leased by the General Motors Corporation from 1996 to 1999.[1] It was the first mass-produced and purpose-designed electric vehicle of the modern era from a major automaker, and the first GM car designed to be an electric vehicle from the outset. 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.[2] 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.[3][4] 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 as they were only able to lease 800 units in face of production costs of US$1 billion over four years.[5] An alliance of the major automakers litigated the CARB regulation in court, resulting in a slackening of the ZEV stipulation, permitting the companies to produce super-low-emissions vehicles, natural gas vehicles, and hybrid cars in place of pure electrics. The EV1 program was subsequently discontinued in 2002, and all cars on the road were repossessed. Lessees were not given the option to purchase their cars from GM, which cited parts, service, and liability regulations.[1] The majority of the repossessed EV1s were crushed, and the rest delivered to museums and educational institutes with their electric powertrains deactivated, under the agreement that the cars were not to be reactivated and driven on the road.

The EV1's discontinuation remains controversial, with electric car enthusiasts, environmental interest groups and former EV1 lessees accusing GM of self-sabotaging its electric car program to avoid potential losses in spare parts sales (sales forced by government regulations), while also blaming the oil industry for conspiring to keep electric cars off the road.[1]