The EV1: Electric Car of the 90s
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
World Solar Challenge

First solar vehicle competition
 Held in Australia in November 1987
 Major US car manufacturers like Ford and GM
participated
 Results stimulated interest in
electric cars in the automobile
industry
Figure 6
California and the EV1

During the 1990s California had a
tremendous smog and pollution problem that
needed to be addressed.
 California Air and Resources Board (CARB)
passed a Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV)
Mandate
 Required car manufacturers to sell ZEVs if
they wanted to sell cars in California
 Lead to the development of EV cars
Design and Technology

Two seat cabin
Figure 7
Design and Technology

Two seat cabin
 No key required
Figure 9
Figure 8
Design and Technology
Two seat cabin
 No key required
 Accelerates from 0-60 in 8 seconds

Design and Technology
Two seat cabin
 No Key required
 Accelerates from 0-60 in 8 seconds
 Top average speed = 80 mph

 Highest clocked speed = 183 mph
Figure 10
Figure 11
Battery Specs
1st generation EV1 carried a 26 leadacid cell battery
 Average range: 60-80 miles per charge
 Complete charge takes approx. 3 hrs

 220 volt 6kW charger
 Charger plugs into the front of the car
Figure 13
Charging Unit
Figure 14
Battery Specs

2nd generation EV1 carried a NiMH
battery
 Developed by Stan Ovshinsky
Range: 100-120 miles
 Complete charge in approx. 5 hrs
 Used the same charger as 1st gen.

Figure 15
Figure 16
Cost of the EV1
Sold at ~$33,995, or leased for about
$399 a month
 Cost of operating an EV1 = Cost of
operating a gasoline car EXCEPT gas
costs 0.60 cents a gallon!
 Maintenance is minimal

 Performed every 5000 miles
 No extra products
What happened to the EV1?
Approximately 4,000 leased
 GM recalled and took back every car in
less than 10 years
 Crushed, shredded and destroyed

Before
Figure 17
Figure 18
After
Who Killed the EV1?
Consumers
 Government
 Oil Companies
 Automotive Industry

General Motors
Poor marketing
 http://noolmusic.com/myspace_videos/g
eneral_motors_ev1_tv_commercial_4.php
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGd
NTOdemBw

GM Claims
Claim: Wasn’t enough demand
 Truth: EV1 had a waiting list of
thousands of buyers.
 Claim: Cars and batteries were too
expensive to make.
 Truth: Mass production could have
helped streamline costs.

GM Motive

Why would GM want to get rid of the EV1?
 Profit Loss
 No need for servicing parts like oil filters
 Oil company connection?
Oil Companies
Funded opposition to the EV1
 Profit loss

 Trillions of dollars of profits still left in oil
reserves
 13.5 million barrels a day in 2004
Government

Bush’s 2004 Economic Incentive Plan
 Tax credit for EVs: $4,000
 Tax credit for luxury SUVs: $100,000
Joined Automotive Companies in suing
CARB over the ZEV Mandate
 Emphasis on Hydrogen Fuel Cell
Development
 Fuel economy standards have not
improved since CAFÉ standards were
adopted in 1975s
 OPEC dropped oil prices

Consumers
Consumers were cautious to accepting
the electric car
 Many were ignorant to that it even
existed
 Many couldn’t see the difference
between gas cars and EV cars
 Consumers will buy what you market to
them that they need to buy

Conclusion
Although the EV1 did have limitations, it
possessed the potential to be a viable
vehicle alternative.
 Had the EV1 remained on the market,
significant progress in the development
of electric vehicles could have been
made.

Figures Work Cited
"EV1." Photograph. Carfree World.9 Nov. 2008 <http://www.carsareevil.com/images/gm_ev1.jpg>.
2.
"1998 Electric Ford Ranger." Photographs. How Stuff Works.9 Nov. 2008 <http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/19901999-ford-trucks-40.jpg>.
3.
"Ford Think." Photograph. 21stcentury.co.uk. 9 Nov. 2008 <http://www.21stcentury.co.uk/images/cars/ford_th!nk.jpg>.
4.
"Honda EV Plus." Photograph. AutoWorld.9 Nov. 2008 <http://www.autoworld.com/news/Honda/ev_plus.jpg>.
5.
"Nissan Altra." Photograph. The Auto Channel.9 Nov. 2008
<http://www.theautochannel.com/cybercast/laautoshow98/images/nissan_altra_ev.jpg>.
6.
"World Solar Challenge." Photograph. 1990 World Solar Challenge.9 Nov. 2008 <http://wwwpersonal.umich.edu/~sdbest/solarcar/Wsc1990.htm>.
7-9, 12, 14. "Miscellaneous EV1." Photograph. EV1 FAQ.9 Nov. 2008
<http://www.ev1.pair.com/charge_across_america/charge_html/faqs.html#anchor2778139. >.
10-11. "Inside the EV1." Diagram. EV1 Club.6 Nov. 2008 <http://ev1-club.power.net/evpics.htm>.
13. "EV1 Engine." Photograph. Motortrend Blog.9 Nov. 2008 <http://image.motortrend.com/f/editorial/no-one-killed-the-electriccar-it-was-dead-on-arrival/9814174+cr1+re0+ar1/gm-ev1-engine.jpg>.
16. "EV1 Battery." Photograph. JCWinni-Photobucket.9 Nov. 2008
<http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t175/jcwinni/gmphev5.png>.
17. "EV1 Graveyard - December, 2003- Before." Digital Photograph. EV1 Club.5 Nov. 2008 <http://ev1club.power.net/archive/031219/jpg/before1.htm>.
18. "EV1 Graveyard - December, 2003- After." Digital Photograph. EV1 Club.5 Nov. 2008 <http://ev1club.power.net/archive/031219/jpg/after2.htm>.
1.
References






"History of Electric Vehicles from 1990 to 1998." EV History. 1
About.com. 5 Nov. 2008
<http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aacarselectric2a.htm>.
Trexlar, Kris. Charge Across America. 1 Jan. 9 Nov. 2008
<http://www.ev1.pair.com/charge_across_america/charge_html/faqs.ht
ml#anchor2843536>.
"United States." The World Factbook. 1 CIA. 9 Nov. 2008
<https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/print/us.html>.
Who Killed the Electric Car. Dir. Chris Paine: DVD. Sony Pictures,
2006.
"Who Killed the Electric Car." NOW. 9 June 2006. PBS. 5 Nov. 2008
<http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/223/>.
Who Killed the Electric Car. Sony Pictures Classics. 5 Nov. 2008
<http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/electric.html>.