Thanks for this video. I worked with the engineering team that developed the EV1 for mass production from the Impact prototype concept, an exciting project. The EV1 was a stylish, full-featured daily-driver, truly unique for its time.
@BigCar24 жыл бұрын
Wow - any interesting stories? Why didn't it get lead acid batteries for the 1996 release? Did you just run out of time?
@kurthirschfield75964 жыл бұрын
I don't know, I was a contractor who left after GM first tried to kill the project. Most of the design for assembly work had been conpleted by then. As you know, GM rejuvenated the project later. I do remember much debate about how fully to accessorize an electric car with lead-acid batteries, and unexpected issues like getting the narrow rear wheel track to be compatible with automatic car washes.😎
@terrytowner419Honey4 жыл бұрын
Kurt Hirschfield what a car, I all most bought one in Atlanta with a Billis sales in 2005 wishing I knew what I passed up. I would get rid of my Geo Metro FXI for EV1
@rosiehawtrey2 жыл бұрын
I wouldn't be too proud about that if I was you. I know a 90 old who bought one car in his *whole* life and a matching painted caravan - in 1934, a Morris 14 if I remember - and you could eat your dinner off the engine sump, from the inside. Then there's Tatra who as part of the sales process had a contract by which the cars went back to the factory, were checked, repaired, and upgraded to the latest spec. Electric vehicles are harmful to the environment and their backplane is completely unnecessary - not to mention dangerous to pedestrians and other drivers. Perfectly acceptable vehicles have been destroyed because of them and personally I'd love to travel back in time with a Barrett M95 in .50BMG and deal with the problem permanently.
@YouTooDoTube Жыл бұрын
Hi there. Do you know any details on Mr. Prof. Fritz Indra. What was his part in this EV1 project? Today he is totally against BEV. What happened in the 90ties?
@bigginsd14 жыл бұрын
GM: Consumers don’t want these cars. EV1 owner: I’ll spend $20,000 of my own money on radio adverts for the car, because you’ve stopped marketing it yourselves. GM: How dare you.
@rosiehawtrey2 жыл бұрын
*intelligent* consumers - there I fixed it for you.
@tetchuma Жыл бұрын
GM killed their golden goose, for a midnight snack. Serves them right
@rwdplz14 жыл бұрын
GM could have owned the market, and Elon never would have gotten involved with Tesla. By destroying the EV1, GM will ultimately have caused their own destruction.
@danb.33974 жыл бұрын
NOT WHILE "MURICANS' ( GEEZUZ ) ARE HOT ON COMMUTER PRICKUPS THAT MAKE THEM FEEL POWERFUL
@jfbeam4 жыл бұрын
They were going to have to stomp their own weiner either way. Recall and destroy the EV1 and get CARB's ZEV timeline killed, or keep pioneering a highly unprofitable car design and undermine their attempts to fight the ZEV timeline. I think they took the correct path. The EV1, for all it's "innovation", was pretty horrible car. Pb batteries are heavy, low power density, and take forever to charge. NiMH is vastly better, but is still crap power density. Tesla came along a bit too early -- 18650's are a horrible choice, but they're doubled down on it. But, if they hadn't, we wouldn't be where we are today.
@sprockkets4 жыл бұрын
Who would invest billions for them to do it? They had to feed profit from other parts of the company.
@sprockkets4 жыл бұрын
Then again, everything they learned with the EV1 carried over to everything else. The Spark EV was one of the few cars that had battery heating and cooling.
@theuncalledfor4 жыл бұрын
@@danb.3397 Cybertruck. Pickup. Electric. Long range. Powerful. Tough. Eye-catching (for better or worse).
@stephenwarhurst66154 жыл бұрын
The Weird thing with the EV1 is it looked more like a Citroen then a GM car
@Costaz6664 жыл бұрын
Because aerodynamics. Citroen was guru at this in past.
@Darth-.-Vaper4 жыл бұрын
I see saturn myself. Not sure which way the influence went
@gillywash14874 жыл бұрын
I thought of the mk1 Honda Insight when I saw it and thought was an original design but this was nearly 10 years earlier! Even the font of the logo is similar
@robbmckerrow22664 жыл бұрын
I see Pontiac Firebird in the front bumper and air intakes and Oldsmobile Aurora in the greenhouse.
@DripDripDrip693 жыл бұрын
Like a more modern DS
@adruvitpandit58163 жыл бұрын
It is beyond belief that GM could produce something so marvellous in 1997.
@RCmadness888 Жыл бұрын
And kill it as soon as it would take off......'mericans for you.
@stickynorth7 ай бұрын
And that's why it would never last... SMH...
@bibasik74 жыл бұрын
GM: Cast it into the fire, destroy it! Smithsonian: No.
@SombreroKnight4 жыл бұрын
The EV1 was a very unique and odd car that I even found hard to believe that it was made by GM. Sucks that most of them where crushed.
@jasoncarpp77424 жыл бұрын
As is typical of American car makers.
@polentusmax61004 жыл бұрын
@@jasoncarpp7742 blame that on the usa legislation, gm/ford/chrysler would not destroy a single failed car if it didnt need to provide parts for years to them.
@orionsorbit3 жыл бұрын
I also think Trump had something to do with the closure of GM Motors facility in Lords Town, OH. The facility that manufactured the Chevy Cruze and the Chevy Volt.
@bestofalllife2 жыл бұрын
Blame the elite that had only interest in selling petrol 😉
@eriktempelman20974 жыл бұрын
It's a rare beast... a GM car that was ahead of the curve.
@Richsalvageconsultan3 жыл бұрын
Almost Unheard Of -- yes indeed!
@nothanksguy3 жыл бұрын
Hey! The AZTEK
@thomasmcdougall80593 жыл бұрын
Ellon musk master baited to this when he was 13
@lesmauldin38574 жыл бұрын
Actually got to drive one for a couple of blocks in Houston. I was working at a prestigious country club when one drove up by a GM marketing guy. He wanted to take a picture in front of the entrance. We negotiated a quid pro quo. Interesting experience. Fond memory.
@aculeus19714 жыл бұрын
There is an episode of Jay Leno's garage where he goes to visit a film director - he had an EV1 and hid it in an outbuilding and still had it .... so maybe GM didn't pursue everyone.
@jasoncarpp77424 жыл бұрын
Francis Ford Coppola is known to have one.
@BigCar24 жыл бұрын
You may be right Jo. Some guy told me he knew someone who had one in Hawaii and never returned it.
@piotrmalewski81784 жыл бұрын
@@BigCar2 How could he hide a car, and avoid legal action? It wasn't his after all.
@paristrout84694 жыл бұрын
@@BigCar2 kzbin.info/www/bejne/opuzhHRse6eXj80
@paristrout84694 жыл бұрын
@@piotrmalewski8178 Thats a great question. My guess is that Mr. Coppola was going to raise a big stink, and had the power and platform to make GM look pretty bad. They probably figured it wasn't worth the headache. The headlines "GM sues world famous director because he won't return his beloved car" probably wouldn't go over well. Especially when he goes on every major news network and tells them all how great a car it is, and starts publicly questioning why they are destroying all of them...
@sightsounds94534 жыл бұрын
still looks unique and futuristic even today.
@theuncalledfor4 жыл бұрын
Retro-futuristic!
@tannithk.correa13312 жыл бұрын
Well General Motors have an electric Hummer now they should bring this one back as the ev2
@BryanSteacy4 жыл бұрын
Ooohh I was always going to watch this but the fact that The EV-1 is the thumbnail hooks me in even more. Such a unique car.
@benfidar4 жыл бұрын
There is at least one other running EV1. I saw it a couple of times in Madison, Wisconsin in 2007-2010.. The College of Engineering was using it as a test mule for electrical engineering classes. I was able to get up close and personal one day when I saw it at a local shop, famous for classic and exotic car repairs. The shop owner created a lot of projects around super lightweight electric and hybrid cars. Very cool car. I knew that many were scraped and few survived, but I did not know how few were still running!
@BigCar24 жыл бұрын
Thanks! Looks like my research missed some ones illegally kept!
@palebeachbum4 жыл бұрын
The EV1 was way ahead of its time. I think it's still a futuristic looking car, over 20yrs later.
@JohnSmith-dm1wo Жыл бұрын
Saw one at a museum. Amazing looking. I would buy one today with today’s batteries..19 coratio
@zacksstuff4 жыл бұрын
I saw one of these at my local auto museum, the California Automobile Museum in Sacramento. I was probably the only one who was extremely excited by seeing this dinky little battery car, but I absolutely love it. If you ever visit the museum, it's in the back right corner.
@Jaggrawr4 жыл бұрын
I was lucky enough to be able to sit in theirs. It's a very well kept example.
@mycomputergl0wsblu2 жыл бұрын
Theres also a red one at the petersen in LA
@gusjackson36584 жыл бұрын
The EV1! I drove one. It really was fun. It had a wrap around dash and was very quick. It felt like a little space ship. They could have been Tesla before Tesla became Tesla. What a screw up.
@BTFxDrumMachine2 жыл бұрын
There's actually one EV-1 still in the wild, it's in a parking deck in Atlanta somewhere, but no one has revealed its exact location in order to protect it.
@MrDDawson2 жыл бұрын
Jay leno showed one in private hands as well. Francis Ford Coppola has his still. Well he did in 2016 anyway.
@paulillingworth12424 жыл бұрын
Crazy, they could have been a gold mine for GM long term, such a short sighted prospect from GM , can’t understand their mentality.
@stevencorrea79824 жыл бұрын
The car still looks very futuristic 2020. They should make an EV 2
@chidorirasenganz2 жыл бұрын
@@stevencorrea7982 their too busy making boring blocky SUVs
@sutherlandA14 жыл бұрын
GM killed the ev1 program just as they purchased the Hummer brand. They were at the forefront of a new era while giving them some rare good publicity, no wonder they went from the number 1 automaker to becoming bankrupt so quickly
@tannithk.correa13312 жыл бұрын
And now the Hummer is an all-electric crab Walker
@nilsthemis4 жыл бұрын
Sadly, GM management has never fully utilized the enormous potential of the engineers and "car people" inside the company. A lot of talent wasted and company profits not realized.
@alexanderstern3359 Жыл бұрын
THIS is so much what I always thought of GM and its european brand, Opel. The know how, the esprit and innovation was always there. They had it all, but Detroit usually decided for yet another rusty, plasticky, super bland thing, leaving their ideas to thrive with their competition. A shame.
@nexus86734 жыл бұрын
I've been waiting for this video for a while lol. One of my favorite quirky cars!
@alancobbin13104 жыл бұрын
Nexus same here 👍
@SaturnCanuck4 жыл бұрын
Thanks for this. You missed element that being the EV1 was "leased: through Saturn stores. I know, I worked with Saturn then and drive the EV1. It was a nice car.
@grandcarriage13 жыл бұрын
I had a friend in California who was lucky enough to have a first gen. She upgraded the tires and the battery pack, and outside of detailing and minor lubrication, that was the only servicing it needed in the whole of her lease (Which was for the full term). She said she loved it, and was hugely upset to give it up. (She replaced it with a Bentley coupe).
@rosiehawtrey2 жыл бұрын
Oh yeah, that did wonders for the environment. Takeaway - EV1 primary advantage? *I can be a lazy sod*
@KMCLA4 жыл бұрын
I requested this particular video fairly recently and kudos for doing an amazing job on it. I thought I knew everything about the EV1 but I had no idea about the 4 passenger prototype. It is an absolute shame that the car was destroyed, and despite controversy over what killed it, its evident that it was corruption. As someone who suffers from respiratory issues myself, people like me would have been greatly benefited by an early EV revolution as it would have avoided the astronomical amount of air pollution we still have. Obviously Tesla is playing a large role in a clean air future which we should all be grateful for. Let's just hope that elusive dream of a clean air world comes sooner rather than later.
@sbomorse4 жыл бұрын
GM must be kicking themselves for scuppering their own future! They could have been the original "Tesla" if they had continued with their work.
@sightsounds94534 жыл бұрын
..and almost handed the market to the Japanese on a plate...
@Commentator5414 жыл бұрын
Sight & Sounds This is how old money thinks and how they fail. I’m involved with old money companies and you wouldn’t believe how unaware they are of the current state of affairs.
@jaybee23443 жыл бұрын
@@Commentator541 Well since the early 80s. Quarterly divided has rulled every Public Traded Company. They are to insecure to take a high per Share lost. So they keep doing what works now to keep Shareholders happy. FMC is famous for this. The original Ford Family controls FMC. They do stupid things like make a TT 3.5 V6 sound like a V8 for the F150. They don't want scare off their insecure kids in adult clothing buyers.. 🤦♂️
@simpleinverso86283 жыл бұрын
@@jaybee2344 ooff you've just spewed a hell of a truth
@Joesolo133 жыл бұрын
@@jaybee2344 honestly that's not as dumb as it seems. There's a *lot* of car buyers that like that shit
@TheNuclearGarage4 жыл бұрын
Wagoner's legacy: 1. Send the world's largest automaker into bankruptcy 2. Kill the EV which was leading the world into electric vehicles.
@paulaelli4 жыл бұрын
GM didn't think of practicality and cost. they produced the EV only because of legislation that they later managed to overturn and once they did that, the EV one was recalled and destroyed cuz they never wanted it to be in the first place.
@MoultrieGeek Жыл бұрын
Perfect summary.
@pilotavery3 ай бұрын
It makes a very practical second car, and almost everyone who had one loved it. They also had developed the batteries further but refused to license it to batteries larger than a D size so no one else could make it either. They were expensive to make because of low volume.
@ChickenC0re4 жыл бұрын
I remember as a child, in the backseat of my parent's car in Columbus, Georgia, seeing one in front of us. There was a large Saturn dealership in town, and that's probably where the owner leased it.
@jasoncarpp77424 жыл бұрын
Like many motoring enthusiasts, I remember the first time I heard about the GM EV1 electric vehicle. It seemed like a great idea, something General Motors should've kept up, instead of discontinuing the programme and and demanding that customers returning the cars to be demolished. It's damned typical of our American car makers. They automatically assume that no one is going to be interested in the car.
@piotrmalewski81784 жыл бұрын
Electrics cars are technically much simplier than conventional ones (no cluth or gearbox). They'd potentially require much less maintenance, and a lot of companies' earning is on selling spares and maintenance services.
@Sethicorn4 жыл бұрын
If Tesla hadn't come along and shaken things up, GM still might not be making any electric cars. Yet another argument as to why a few massive companies is less desirable than many smaller competing companies in a marketplace.
@jasoncarpp77424 жыл бұрын
So true. I regret that I've never driven a Tesla. Nor do I know anyone who owns one.
@jasoncarpp77424 жыл бұрын
Are they simpler than "conventional" cars?
@josev15444 жыл бұрын
@@jasoncarpp7742 i agree with you when you ask "are they simpler?". TESLAS do away with all the moving parts of an engine and the transmission which are the parts that mostly break down. But the Tesla battery and electronics arent simple at all, but extremely well made by experts. not the crappy electronics we get in modern legacy cars. if it were truly simple, GM and others would be all over it. What Tesla has constructed is an extremely reliable car with possibly long life and really less expensive to run. So you have to plug it up often. This used to be the same complaint about cellphones.
@miguelsalami11 ай бұрын
More than 20 years ago after learning GM produced the EV1 I went around to all the local junk yards looking for one I could possibly restore. Finally after not finding even 1 it was discovered GM had them all Crushed! That raised a Big Red Flag for me along with the the Big Question "WHY? Well here we are now 23 years later & finally All Electric Vehicles are being mass produced in many foreign countries with China leading the way & leaving "The Big Three" Behind. Only this time the Electric car won't be Crushed! Great Video Thank You ❤
@cbh1483 жыл бұрын
1:48, my god, straight out of the movies with all that acting.
@Mister_H4 жыл бұрын
Another great video. I've always loved the EV1 ever since I first came across it. I never knew about all the other variations though, even that there was a MKII so that made this video even more interesting. The film really shows the passion the owners had for their cars and it brought tears to my eyes when I saw them go on the back of trucks on their way to be crushed!!
@Sacto16544 жыл бұрын
The problem was that the battery technology at the time was not mature enough--the EV-1 was essentially a rolling battery pack with not much interior space. At least when the Tesla Model S came out, there was actually a roomy interior, a trunk and a "frunk." Today's Tesla Model 3 and the upcoming Model Y uses the very latest lithium-ion battery designs to give the vehicle lots of decent interior space.
@j.chiari42224 жыл бұрын
Waiting for the Geoff and Hammerhead-Eagle-i-Thrust episode
@markdavis24754 жыл бұрын
Nice episode thanks! Always liked the EV1. There is a good book, I think called "The car that could". Its a very detailed story of the development, right up to the point before they cancelled it.
@goranj14 жыл бұрын
You've missed on 1930s Wilson, bodied by Mullner, sold 40 untill '39. My personal favourite...
@zacharyf.5684 жыл бұрын
I love how informative your reviews are. Keep up the hard work.
@Robbie62984 жыл бұрын
Sounds like an awesome first gen EV. If I owned one and GM wanted to take it back I have a funny feeling that it would have been stolen out of my garage and eventually lost in a tragic boating accident 😣
@wardfiction56932 жыл бұрын
Yeah, I am surprised that some did not go Missing...
@Omar-em7rl Жыл бұрын
@@wardfiction5693 there's about 3 that are in private collections, one is in Canada by a rich private collector, and the other 2 in the U.S. one shows up for about 3 seconds in a jay leno intro video but never spoken of or showed up ever again. there's about 42 or 43 of them out there, just 39 that are officially accounted for at museums and universities. I don't know much more about this since i haven't done my research in this in about 10 years.
@benfidar3 жыл бұрын
I saw one in 2010.. UW Madison has one, I assume, to this day. It runs too!
@RRW3593 жыл бұрын
I'm finishing VOY Season 1 while watching this. I nearly dies when he showed that LCARS panel.
@jonnyc4294 жыл бұрын
The fuel cell EV1 sounded like a really promising concept with decent range. Should have pursued that !
@SquareoftheyearFM4 жыл бұрын
Methanol fuel cell, not a hydrogen fuel cell. Still a fossil fuel.
@josev15444 жыл бұрын
@@SquareoftheyearFM i dont think methonol is a fossil fuel. its distilled from a number if sources like wood and other waste products as well.
@markplott48203 жыл бұрын
Johnny - FCV cars do not work , Today FCV sell less than BEV does and are More expensive to purchase and it costs over $120 to FUEL.
@jonnyc4293 жыл бұрын
@@markplott4820 you're right but that's what I mean, years of development could have helped that not have been the current reality
@douglasdepirro83644 жыл бұрын
I remember seeing the commercial for the ev1 with the small appliances walking to it and I wanted that car. But like all the good things they never seem to get to us in indiana.
@milosit4 жыл бұрын
One of the surviving EV-1s depicted in the video is at the Peterson Museum here in LA.
@MrDDawson2 жыл бұрын
Francis Ford Coppola has his EV1 still. Well he did in 2016 when Jay Leno paid him a visit. It's on YT channel CNBC prime, easy to find. Great series on EV's. Very well done.
@martijnvangorp4 жыл бұрын
Hi! What a great channel! Great job you’re doing. Your video’s are superb. thoroughly, well explained, informative. Thx
@Jag-leaper4 жыл бұрын
I had a dream I owned this car last night.....it was the last functioning one and was so special and I didnt need a registration for it...everything was operated by buttons ( opening doors etc.) And it was also a 4 door version ....the only one they made.....funny to see it as I wake up lol Edit: I wrote that comment before watching the whole video and was shocked to see they DID make a 4 seat version....craaaazy
@FRITZI9994 жыл бұрын
stop taking drugs Buddy ;-)
@TomDeVito Жыл бұрын
Great video! Very informative fun fact back in 2020 the shell of an EV1 sold for $23,662
@excaliburjohndeere38874 жыл бұрын
Loved your video. I have six Honda Insight 2000 and 2002 models.after 10 modifications I get over 100 mpg. I drive up to 50 miles an hour. It's my hobby .would love to have a evone.
@nuss5293 жыл бұрын
That car even got more range than many EV's today have
@inkyguy Жыл бұрын
When you posted this in 2021 that may have been accurate, but as of 2023, most fully electric EVs attain far better than 102 miles on a single charge. Many now get over 300. I know because a 350 mile EV in our pri ce range is what we’re waiting for to make the switch to a fully electric car, so we occasionally check to see what’s available. We just bought our second Volt (used, of course). We couldn’t be more pleased. When we’re ready to retire it in five years something m almost certainly be available by then.
@nuss529 Жыл бұрын
Yeah I was reffering to like first gen Nissan Leaf etc. Nowadays I actually drive a Volvo plug-in hybrid and I really enjoy the electric drive, certinally considering a full EV as my next car. Always kind of had my eyes on a Volt too, I am sure it serves you well! @@inkyguy
@christopherwilliams94184 жыл бұрын
Wonder if all the parts molds are still out there somewhere or not... Would love to see a small manufacturer take over and do a limited run of EV1 bodies with modern EV technology maybe.
@AL_THOMAS4 жыл бұрын
Great story, although I'm baffled as to why this has less views than many of the other videos. This is a great channel, Little car is great too. I'd love to see a video on the Roots Group or brands that were once big but are no longer around. The whole Austin/Morris/BL debacle would be great to get the big car treatment. Or the Austin Maxi, development of the transverse engine, innovations in cars that never made if (gas turbines), the Austin. Princess, Ford Anglia, Hillman Imp, AMC Pacer etc.
@BigCar24 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the suggestions! It's a mystery why some videos do well and others don't. I put the same effort into each one.
@orsodaikin3 жыл бұрын
Very interesting documentary, I hoped it could have talked about the first electric fiat 500 prototype and the commercialised electric fiat Panda called Elettra if I remember correctly
@jeylful3 жыл бұрын
I love your videos. You deserve millions of views and I don't have any doubt in my mind that you will get there.
@KarlHamilton4 жыл бұрын
1:31 Volvo 850 detected! This is definitely the best video yet and I cannot wait to see the rest of the 850 footage you have!
@BigCar24 жыл бұрын
Glad you liked it! I’ve just finished the Volvo 740/760 video, and the next logical step is the 850, but I’ve no idea when I’ll get to it.
@KarlHamilton4 жыл бұрын
@@BigCar2 NO WAY!! This is gonna be incredible!! We had a 760 Turbo Intercooler when I was a kid. It was the fastest limousine ever. Would still love one of those but there's none left now :'(
@BigCar24 жыл бұрын
@@KarlHamilton Special early access, just for you Karl - and all your requests to make it happen! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2jCeZKXj9l_opo
@Cyberwolfman4 жыл бұрын
I graduated High School in 1999 and wanted an EV-1 or a car with it's capabilities. Today I drive a Tesla Model 3. No GM vehicle can touch it.
@wrenchedfor30wrench204 жыл бұрын
Gm style has always been stand alone ,in my opinion.
@shaunw92704 жыл бұрын
I'm not keen on electric cars but I do enjoy your EV videos . My late Dad would have been interested to see how electric cars have come along. He was an electrician all his life and he remembered late 50's or early 60's at Bristol East Power Station ,they had a Morris 1000 van with an electric motor and the back of the van was full of batteries. He said it was an unofficial experiment that some guys put together , totally impractical but they all used it as a site runabout . A bit of a novelty he called it lol 😊
@BigCar24 жыл бұрын
Thanks - glad you like the video! I was surprised as to how low an adoption EVs and even Hybrids have. I was expecting it to be much higher with all the hype.
@shaunw92704 жыл бұрын
@@BigCar2 Yes , Hype . I can't see these vehicles replacing petrol or diesel engines in my lifetime to be perfectly honest. The infrastructure doesn't exist to make it possible.
@evjedi40614 жыл бұрын
I own two of the EV1 S 10 version. Great Vehicle. Good job on your research.
@MrJerobona4 жыл бұрын
Great documentary! Thank you! I do have a friend that owned an EV1 and I got to drive it a few times, it was a fantastic machine!
@bwgti4 жыл бұрын
Thank you for the video. I know of this car. But knew nothing about it I guess. I had no idea how close GM was to sorting out the electric car!
@toddaulner53936 ай бұрын
Would love to make a drag car out of one of these.
@Psycandy3 жыл бұрын
a few EV1s slipped through the net. Every now and then one pops up on Jay Leno's Garage, and the owners all go... 'shhhh' - because that value can only increase!
@bolt55643 жыл бұрын
I read that one of the reasons GM refused to sell the ev1 was they were concerned that the batteries would not last more than a couple years. I think I read to this in a book called Autonomy: The quest to build the driverless car-and how it will reshape our world.
@rosiehawtrey2 жыл бұрын
It won't. Until driverless cars are run by human brains in a box, they are dangerous, and the next level of stupidity. If you can't learn to drive a stick shift or tiptronic in manual mode then you shouldn't get a licence. If it was up to me everyone would learn on Riley A60s or ADO17 manuals. None of the electronic bollocks - make drivers who can drive for once.
@wojciechmuras5534 жыл бұрын
3 of those escaped! One was just recently discovered just cruisin' down a street somewhere in South America. One driving example was just rescued in Atlanta. Third one is... somewhere. And those disabled units - they aren't destroyed. Some smart guys have cracked the service codes all the way in 2004, and re-enabled an unknown number of these cars in museums across the country. Those crushed units are also probably repairable should someone acquire one. And don't even get me started on replicas!
@woody55633 жыл бұрын
Visually, this is an absolutely stunning car.
@ceesklumper4 жыл бұрын
Very informative, well done.
@mikego187534 жыл бұрын
Hay mate,great vid.i,m someone who really wanted an ev1 and was gutted that i never got the chance to buy one.There was a Metropolis,Buck Rodgers look to it. Thanks.
@FrankJohn4 жыл бұрын
It's a pity they hadn't the foresight like Tesla.
@iluvcamaros19124 жыл бұрын
This literally preceded the Tesla. GM had foresight, they lacked follow through.
@pHD774 жыл бұрын
@@iluvcamaros1912 GM were stuck in the whole 'spare parts' mindset of things, which was (and still is) a major revenue for fossil cars. Less so with electric cars, due to fewer moving parts Tesla not only makes electric cars, but are focused on creating the infrastructure as well and create a revenue from other products, like the Powerwall, Solar City tiles and Supercharging network. If only GM had been able to think outside the box... It'll be interesting to see if Musk can still disrupt the old fossil industry even more and come up with the solutions to beat some of the few advantages that fossil cars still have over EVs: - Less than 3-5 minutes to charge - More than 500 miles on one charge - Lifespan (although some data from EV owners already suggest that batteries on most Teslas have already exceeded expected life span)
@alancobbin13104 жыл бұрын
I remember the EV1 well ,shame it came to an end ,there was talk that the odd one or two still remain in private hands in the states ,hidden well away I suspect, I was lucky to drive a brand new Honda Civic IMA In 2001 which was very similar to the Insight very smart car ,great video 👍
@BigCar24 жыл бұрын
A person I was talking to the other day said a guy had one in Hawaii and didn't return it, and still has it, now in the Seattle area. But then that's second hand information.
@alancobbin13104 жыл бұрын
Big Car same here ,will never know for sure .
@granskare4 жыл бұрын
GM leased the electric that all liked, but GM crushed them, not understanding the future. GM did give one to the Smithsonian museum.
@1954Antony Жыл бұрын
Funny how you can no longer find the original documentary on YT, It used to be here.
@JohnnoDordrecht4 жыл бұрын
Very interesting episode, how is it possible for a big firm to miss the boat
@mattkaustickomments4 жыл бұрын
Johnno Dordrecht, I don’t know...ask the Edsel.
@pHD774 жыл бұрын
They didn't miss the boat - they just got off the boat too soon.
@DeLorean42 жыл бұрын
The EV-1 story is like an angry teenager refusing to do his science homework, reluctantly doing it, overdelivering with a PhD-level thesis, saying "YOU HAPPY NOW?" and throwing it in the paper shredder.
@thomasleemullins43724 жыл бұрын
I think that is very informative. I learned some things with it. I was unaware of the other variations. I think GM should have continued with the fuel cell version of the EV1; or at least with the fuel cells. They had a fuel cell platform that they could put different bodies on it. I think that was brilliant. It seems GM has done nothing with it. I think fuel cell vehicles are the future (longer range, shorter 'recharging' time and - with continued development - lower cost of the fuel cells and the hydrogen that it uses).
@whizzdom69234 жыл бұрын
great cant wait for more but .cant help putting a few prompts forward for some forgotten heros I would like to hear about .. fiat x-19 / strada . opel manta . ae86.323 4x4 turbo .firenza…..
@pistolshrimp62524 жыл бұрын
GM is sometimes capable of great achievements. Even when they managed to create something so incredible and innovative they still find some way to Fuck it up .
@Nicecardude1003 жыл бұрын
Oil companies and other big business are the blame of this not being mass produced.
@MrJstorm44 жыл бұрын
You forgot to mention let the reason why they couldn't get new parts was because they sold their patents to the Battery Technology to an oil company
@sos104 жыл бұрын
Family car replacement? It was a 2 seater with limited booth space.
@catjudo14 жыл бұрын
A plain woman and two cats in the passenger seat. That's a family!
@viplanet4 жыл бұрын
There are families of two :)
@ciaranchew4 жыл бұрын
Bravo, yet another feet up, cup of tea, informative, enjoyable video, great stuff, keep the coming.
@davidbarnsley84863 жыл бұрын
Gm was so far ahead of the curve but also 20 years too soon But if they had only kept on with it they would be the world leaders now I think it was truly an amazing vehicle 👍👍
@rodoherty14 жыл бұрын
That was fantastic! I really enjoyed that! Thank you!
@c0smoKram3r4 жыл бұрын
Other than the provocative public outcry and court case based on CARB, there had to be another reason as to why GM just didn't want to keep it going...
@Racing_Fox4133 жыл бұрын
Love the fact that California inadvertently stopped the production of electric cars. Hate that place with a passion
@visi15084 жыл бұрын
Interesting and Informative - Always Learning! Cheers
@andarubimasakti13323 жыл бұрын
Similar thing happened to Kodak in the late 1990s-early 2000s, they basically invented the digital camera but intentionally did not market it as it would destroy the sales of their film/analog photography products. I guess the USA corporate culture really do value short term profit and are generally afraid of shifting to new pioneering technology
@michael12342524 жыл бұрын
Gotta love the California government laws forcing GM to put the car into production when GM only made the car as a Testing Prototype Concept car. Now I've seen your videos about the EV cars of the 60's, 70's, and 80's. Most of those cars had bunch of issues and yet their wasn't a proper EV standard yet. But really now a days I think that when Toyota released the Prius back in 1997 with that gas-electric Hybrid engine made people rethink how Low emission cars work successfully. But still even at the same time EV cars were still being worked on and being tested. But it wasn't until the late 2000's when Tesla Roadster(2008) and some other EV cars came out and became super popular, reliable, and well received for EV's to become a standard thing.
@karlpiepenburg31573 жыл бұрын
Like Saturn, a car that started with innovation and expectations that ultimately failed
@ronaldderooij17744 жыл бұрын
I think if they would reproduce the EV1 with new computers and software an li-ion batteries, it would be a smashing hit.
@nathanseper8738 Жыл бұрын
GM shot itself in the foot. If only they gave the EV1 a chance in the 90s then electric cars would be more common then today.
@tombouu3 ай бұрын
Nope. Battery sucks
@TheWinezen4 жыл бұрын
When GM stopped listening to their own customers, they would write their own obselescence
@ERFAN_ZEX22 жыл бұрын
EV1 Bring Back 2022_..... This is Golden EV Car Years
@inkyguy Жыл бұрын
@Big Car, FYI , your video does not appear in KZbin’s search results for “general motors ev1,” only for “gm ev1,” or at least that was my experience checking a couple of times. Never having posted a video I don’t know how it is done, but I wanted to let you know so you could update the videos description tags or whatever KZbin uses to index videos. I enjoyed your video and wanted to make sure that it doesn’t get missed by someone else who could gain something from it.
@BigCar2 Жыл бұрын
I took a look and here's the search terms I've put for this video: "gm ev1, general motors ev1, gm ev-1, gm ev-1 story, gm ev-1 story, general motors ev1 story". So it shows that it doesn't really matter what you put, KZbin will do what they want regardless.
@MicrobyteAlan4 жыл бұрын
Good topic. Interesting and well presented. Thanks
@Jerra30072 жыл бұрын
Oeee noo that crushed Volvo 850 breaks my heart
@mattwolf76983 жыл бұрын
I think they should bring this back, it either needs to have a back seat this time or should be turned into a sports car (that still looks like an updated EV-1) to make it stand out or be more practical now though since the electric car market is now extremely competitive
I think everyone jumped the gun, including a lot of people at GM. This should have been pitched and treated as what it was, a technology and usage demonstrator. CARB, and some people at GM, as well as the EV1 cultists, treated the EV1 as a practical proposition and the beginning of some electric car revolution. The EV1 succeeded as a demonstrator of the prospects and problems of electric vehicles, as well as demonstrating the electronics that would turn them into a practical road-going proposition (unlike the "milk floats" of old). Look at the places in which the EV1 was released, Phoenix and Tuscon, AZ, and Los Angeles, CA. Warm, dry weather. LA was chosen because of CARB, and the celebrities. You could not have released the EV1 in San Francisco because of its hilly terrain - making any test track range figure look farcical. Cold weather would kill the range because you'd have to use battery power to heat the occupants. Wet weather would marginally reduce range by adding wiper usage. Those contracts purporting to free GM from its support obligations would probably not have been enforceable. If they were, unscrupulous dealers and manufacturers could use them to get out of reasonable support obligations. It could certainly not be enforced for safety-related components.
@darrensmith69994 жыл бұрын
Amazing Video thank you (:
@BigCar24 жыл бұрын
Thanks for the kind words as always Darren.
@darrensmith69994 жыл бұрын
@@BigCar2 You are most welcome really enjoy your videos and look forward to them coming out (: