“GM EV1” Missed the Opportunity to Pioneer Electric Vehicles

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. Instead of Tesla, the change will be led by General MotorsWe could see .

The car that emerged with the law passed by the state of California: GM EV1.

Everything is a law issued by the US state of California in 1990. ‘Zero Emission Law’ It starts with . 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. electric car The brand, which managed to receive awards in competitions, introduced in 1990 With the Impact concept He would also show his seriousness on this issue.

It was easy to see electric vehicles from General Motors instead of Tesla on the roads.

1990 Los Angeles Auto ShowImpact, which appeared in , 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 given to some previously understood people. It was delivered to them for testing 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.

The company, which completed its tests in 1996, introduced its electric car for the first time in its history.General MotorsHe decided to launch it with the ‘ logo. GM EV1 The electric car, called , offered a charging time of 6 hours for an average range of 100 kilometers. It was offered to customers with a rental program at Saturn dealers. The determined sales price of the vehicle is It 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. of the vehicle low range, Although it seemed quite sufficient for daily use and electric cars aroused curiosity, most people seemed to prefer to stay away from this model.

GM, which wanted to keep its electric car alive with various advertising campaigns, continued to develop its vehicle and launched it in 1999. EV1 Gen 2 appeared before us. In the renewed model lead-acid battery, replace nickel-metal-hydride battery he had left. 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 was Recall of 450 vehicles caused. 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 told users about GM’s He stated that he would remove the cars from traffic.

In addition, the company said that the cost of maintaining the minimum 15-year parts supply and service infrastructure required by the state of California cannot be covered. collection of all vehicles decided. In late 2003 General Motorsofficially canceled the EV1 program.

GM EV1, which was expected to be the pioneer of electric cars, ended up in the scrapyard.

Collected most of the cars General Motorsdecided to leave some of the vehicles it donated to museums and universities to institutions. Some donated to universities GM EV1 It is reported that the models are 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.

Despite a large investment, GM’s from his electric car The fact that he gave up so quickly brings with it 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?

GM EV1As in the documentary telling the story of , 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. Unable to withstand these pressures, the state of California Zero Emission LawWe can say that the postponement of ‘s to 2018 also caused the delay of electric cars.

We all see the point that electric cars, which started to develop in the 2010s, have reached. Continuation of production of GM EV1 and other brands General MotorsIf it followed, we could be driving much better electric cars today. So what do you think about GM EV1 and today’s electric cars?

Our other content about electric vehicles: