In this process where we say goodbye to internal combustion engines, the number of electric cars is increasing day by day.
This process of change, which started in the 2010s, could actually have started much earlier. We could see General Motors instead of Tesla leading the change.
The car that emerged with the law passed by the state of California: GM EV1.
It all starts with the ‘Zero Emission Law’ passed by the US state of California in 1990. According to this law, electric cars would constitute 2 percent of automobile manufacturers’ sales by 1998. This rate would be increased to 5 percent in 2001 and to 10 percent in 2003.
After this decision was taken, many brands began to accelerate their electric car efforts. General Motors (GM) was already working seriously on electric cars. The brand, which managed to win awards in electric car races, would show its seriousness in this regard with the Impact concept it introduced in 1990.
It was easy to see electric vehicles from General Motors instead of Tesla on the roads.
Impact, which appeared at the 1990 Los Angeles Auto Show, also formed the infrastructure of GM’s first electric car. Wanting to launch its electric car on the market as soon as possible, the company started the first real-time tests of the vehicle in 1994.
The first 50 vehicles produced were delivered to some previously agreed people to test for a short time. After the testing phase was completed and the first models produced were taken back, it would be time for mass production.
Having completed its tests in 1996, the company decided to launch its electric car with the ‘General Motors’ logo for the first time in its history. The electric car, called GM EV1, offered an average range of 100 kilometers and a charging time of 6 hours. It was offered to customers with a rental program at Saturn dealers. The determined sales price of the vehicle was 34 thousand dollars.
General Motors chose to lease its first electric car instead of selling it.
Although the price of the electric car was high, GM’s main goal was to rent the vehicles. That’s why this situation did not bother the brand. However, the US manufacturer was able to rent only 288 vehicles in the first year. Although the low range of the vehicle seemed quite sufficient for daily use and electric cars aroused curiosity, most people seemed to prefer to stay away from this model.
Wanting to keep its electric car alive with various advertising campaigns, GM also continued to develop its vehicle and in 1999, EV1 Gen 2 appeared. In the renewed model, the lead-acid battery was replaced by a nickel-metal-hydride battery. This new battery offered approximately twice the range despite a similar charging time. This showed that the biggest problem of the electric car could be solved.
The increased range with the second generation could not extend the life of the GM EV1.
Although GM EV1 was promising with its renewed version, the problem with the charging cable of the first generation caused the recall of 450 vehicles. The heating problem experienced by the vehicle while charging caused a fire and the destruction of a vehicle. Even though all these events did not occur in the second generation vehicle, they once again shook the trust in electric vehicles.
By 2002, only 1,117 GM EV1s had been produced. On February 7, 2002, GM Advanced Technology Vehicles Brand Manager Ken Stewart informed users that GM would withdraw the cars from traffic.
In addition, the company said that it could not cover the cost of maintaining the minimum 15-year parts supply and service infrastructure required by the state of California, and decided to recall all of the vehicles. In late 2003, General Motors officially canceled the EV1 program.
GM EV1, which was expected to be the pioneer of electric cars, ended up in the scrapyard.
General Motors, which collected most of the automobiles, decided to leave some of the vehicles it donated to museums and universities to institutions. Some GM EV1 models donated to universities are reportedly still in use. However, this two-seater electric car with an aluminum body unfortunately said goodbye to the roads before reaching a wide user base.
The fact that GM gave up on its electric car so quickly, despite a large investment, raises some theories. Even a documentary has been shot on this subject. You can find the documentary in the ‘watchdocumantaries’ section of the source section.
Did oil barons block General Motors’ electric vehicle?
As in the documentary telling the story of the GM EV1, the development process of the electric car may have been undermined by those who control the oil market. After all, it is a fact that the widespread use of electric cars will cause great harm to these people.
It is also stated that if the electric car is successful, spare parts suppliers will also suffer a significant loss. We can say that the postponement of the Zero Emission Law to 2018 by the state of California, which could not withstand these pressures, caused the delay of electric cars.
We all see the point that electric cars, which started to develop in the 2010s, have reached. If the production of GM EV1 continued and other brands followed General Motors, we could be driving much better electric cars today. So what do you think about GM EV1 and today’s electric cars?
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