When GM was ahead of the EV game. The GM EV1 Story

By the end of the 1980s electric vehicles had taken baby steps towards becoming practical. And companies would continue to produce small, lightweight vehicles into the 1990s, using heavy lead-acid batteries. But one company would strive, and some would say succeed in producing the world’s first electric vehicle that was a practical replacement for an internal combustion engine car. It would take almost ten years of work to produce and would come from the unlikeliest of sources, stodgy old General Motors.
Part 1 (1960's to 1970s): • Before Tesla... 1960s/...
Part 2 (1980s): • Before Tesla... 1980s ...
Part 3 (90s and GM EV1): • When GM was ahead of t...
Part 4 (Tesla Roadster): • The Tesla Roadster Story
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[@stephenwarhurst6615]

The Weird thing with the EV1 is it looked more like a Citroen then a GM car

[@Costaz666]

Because aerodynamics. Citroen was guru at this in past.

[@Darth-.-Vaper]

I see saturn myself. Not sure which way the influence went

[@gillywash1487]

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

[@robbmckerrow2266]

I see Pontiac Firebird in the front bumper and air intakes and Oldsmobile Aurora in the greenhouse.

[@DripDripDrip69]

Like a more modern DS

[@kurthirschfield7596]

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.

[@BigCar2]

Wow - any interesting stories? Why didn't it get lead acid batteries for the 1996 release? Did you just run out of time?

[@kurthirschfield7596]

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.😎

[@terrytowner419Honey]

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

[@rosiehawtrey]

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]

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?

[@SombreroKnight]

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.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

As is typical of American car makers.

[@polentusmax6100]

@@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.

[@orionsorbit]

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.

[@bestofalllife]

Blame the elite that had only interest in selling petrol 😉

[@adruvitpandit5816]

It is beyond belief that GM could produce something so marvellous in 1997.

[@RCmadness888]

And kill it as soon as it would take off......'mericans for you.

[@stickynorth]

And that's why it would never last... SMH...

[@bigginsd1]

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.

[@rosiehawtrey]

*intelligent* consumers - there I fixed it for you.

[@tetchuma]

GM killed their golden goose, for a midnight snack. Serves them right

[@bibasik7]

GM: Cast it into the fire, destroy it! Smithsonian: No.

[@aculeus1971]

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.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Francis Ford Coppola is known to have one.

[@BigCar2]

You may be right Jo. Some guy told me he knew someone who had one in Hawaii and never returned it.

[@piotrmalewski8178]

@@BigCar2 How could he hide a car, and avoid legal action? It wasn't his after all.

[@paristrout8469]

@@BigCar2 kzbin.info/www/bejne/opuzhHRse6eXj80

[@paristrout8469]

@@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...

[@lesmauldin3857]

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.

[@eriktempelman2097]

It's a rare beast... a GM car that was ahead of the curve.

[@Richsalvageconsultan]

Almost Unheard Of -- yes indeed!

[@nothanksguy]

Hey! The AZTEK

[@thomasmcdougall8059]

Ellon musk master baited to this when he was 13

[@sightsounds9453]

still looks unique and futuristic even today.

[@theuncalledfor]

Retro-futuristic!

[@tannithk.correa1331]

Well General Motors have an electric Hummer now they should bring this one back as the ev2

[@palebeachbum]

The EV1 was way ahead of its time. I think it's still a futuristic looking car, over 20yrs later.

[@JohnSmith-dm1wo]

Saw one at a museum. Amazing looking. I would buy one today with today’s batteries..19 coratio

[@gusjackson3658]

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.

[@BryanSteacy]

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.

[@benfidar]

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!

[@BigCar2]

Thanks! Looks like my research missed some ones illegally kept!

[@zacksstuff]

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.

[@Jaggrawr]

I was lucky enough to be able to sit in theirs. It's a very well kept example.

[@mycomputergl0wsblu]

Theres also a red one at the petersen in LA

[@rwdplz1]

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.3397]

NOT WHILE "MURICANS' ( GEEZUZ ) ARE HOT ON COMMUTER PRICKUPS THAT MAKE THEM FEEL POWERFUL

[@jfbeam]

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.

[@sprockkets]

Who would invest billions for them to do it? They had to feed profit from other parts of the company.

[@sprockkets]

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.

[@theuncalledfor]

@@danb.3397 Cybertruck. Pickup. Electric. Long range. Powerful. Tough. Eye-catching (for better or worse).

[@paulillingworth1242]

Crazy, they could have been a gold mine for GM long term, such a short sighted prospect from GM , can’t understand their mentality.

[@stevencorrea7982]

The car still looks very futuristic 2020. They should make an EV 2

[@chidorirasenganz]

@@stevencorrea7982 their too busy making boring blocky SUVs

[@nexus8673]

I've been waiting for this video for a while lol. One of my favorite quirky cars!

[@alancobbin1310]

Nexus same here 👍

[@SaturnCanuck]

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.

[@grandcarriage1]

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).

[@rosiehawtrey]

Oh yeah, that did wonders for the environment. Takeaway - EV1 primary advantage? *I can be a lazy sod*

[@nilsthemis]

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]

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.

[@miguelsalami]

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 ❤

[@jasoncarpp7742]

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.

[@piotrmalewski8178]

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.

[@Sethicorn]

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.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

So true. I regret that I've never driven a Tesla. Nor do I know anyone who owns one.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Are they simpler than "conventional" cars?

[@josev1544]

@@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.

[@KMCLA]

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.

[@BTFxDrumMachine]

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.

[@MrDDawson]

Jay leno showed one in private hands as well. Francis Ford Coppola has his still. Well he did in 2016 anyway.

[@sutherlandA1]

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.correa1331]

And now the Hummer is an all-electric crab Walker

[@zacharyf.568]

I love how informative your reviews are. Keep up the hard work.

[@Mister_H]

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!!

[@Robbie6298]

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 😣

[@wardfiction5693]

Yeah, I am surprised that some did not go Missing...

[@Omar-em7rl]

@@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.

[@martijnvangorp]

Hi! What a great channel! Great job you’re doing. Your video’s are superb. thoroughly, well explained, informative. Thx

[@paulaelli]

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]

Perfect summary.

[@pilotavery]

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.

[@MrJerobona]

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!

[@milosit]

One of the surviving EV-1s depicted in the video is at the Peterson Museum here in LA.

[@markdavis2475]

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.

[@TomDeVito]

Great video! Very informative fun fact back in 2020 the shell of an EV1 sold for $23,662

[@bwgti]

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!

[@ciaranchew]

Bravo, yet another feet up, cup of tea, informative, enjoyable video, great stuff, keep the coming.

[@jeylful]

I love your videos. You deserve millions of views and I don't have any doubt in my mind that you will get there.

[@rodoherty1]

That was fantastic! I really enjoyed that! Thank you!

[@visi1508]

Interesting and Informative - Always Learning! Cheers

[@ceesklumper]

Very informative, well done.

[@Chase-simba1]

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

[@FRITZI999]

stop taking drugs Buddy ;-)

[@douglasdepirro8364]

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.

[@mikego18753]

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.

[@ChickenC0re]

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.

[@j.chiari4222]

Waiting for the Geoff and Hammerhead-Eagle-i-Thrust episode

[@sbomorse]

GM must be kicking themselves for scuppering their own future! They could have been the original "Tesla" if they had continued with their work.

[@sightsounds9453]

..and almost handed the market to the Japanese on a plate...

[@Commentator541]

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.

[@jaybee2344]

@@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.. 🤦‍♂️

[@simpleinverso8628]

@@jaybee2344 ooff you've just spewed a hell of a truth

[@Joesolo13]

@@jaybee2344 honestly that's not as dumb as it seems. There's a *lot* of car buyers that like that shit

[@MicrobyteAlan]

Good topic. Interesting and well presented. Thanks

[@AL_THOMAS]

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.

[@BigCar2]

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.

[@evjedi4061]

I own two of the EV1 S 10 version. Great Vehicle. Good job on your research.

[@excaliburjohndeere3887]

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.

[@martinmoselarsen3175]

Who Killed the Electric Car: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYmtn4Zvh8x-qck Revenge of the Electric Car: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gonbaZ6ehbt1mLs

[@FilterYT]

Great series, thanks!

[@jamesengland7461]

Thanks for another excellent video!

[@Sacto1654]

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.

[@TheStwat]

Very interesting video, as always. :)

[@MrDDawson]

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.

[@a-manlordsoftime755]

This guy is a really good story teller

[@shaunw9270]

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 😊

[@BigCar2]

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.

[@shaunw9270]

@@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.

[@glennt69lol]

Great video mate

[@donnae9566]

I still have the film 'Who Killed the Electric Car' on DVD. Eye opening and fascinating!

[@orsodaikin]

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

[@goranj1]

You've missed on 1930s Wilson, bodied by Mullner, sold 40 untill '39. My personal favourite...

[@DanielJopQ]

Great video!

[@TheNuclearGarage]

Wagoner's legacy: 1. Send the world's largest automaker into bankruptcy 2. Kill the EV which was leading the world into electric vehicles.

[@cbh148]

1:48, my god, straight out of the movies with all that acting.

[@darrensmith6999]

Amazing Video thank you (:

[@BigCar2]

Thanks for the kind words as always Darren.

[@darrensmith6999]

@@BigCar2 You are most welcome really enjoy your videos and look forward to them coming out (:

[@thomasleemullins4372]

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).

[@woody5563]

Visually, this is an absolutely stunning car.

[@andarubimasakti1332]

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

[@RomainSandt]

great video.

[@KarlHamilton]

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!

[@BigCar2]

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.

[@KarlHamilton]

@@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 :'(

[@BigCar2]

@@KarlHamilton Special early access, just for you Karl - and all your requests to make it happen! kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2jCeZKXj9l_opo

[@peacefulscrimp5183]

That was amazing 👍 great video. You got a new subscriber

[@BigCar2]

Glad you liked it!

[@jonnyc429]

The fuel cell EV1 sounded like a really promising concept with decent range. Should have pursued that !

[@SquareoftheyearFM]

Methanol fuel cell, not a hydrogen fuel cell. Still a fossil fuel.

[@josev1544]

@@SquareoftheyearFM i dont think methonol is a fossil fuel. its distilled from a number if sources like wood and other waste products as well.

[@markplott4820]

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.

[@jonnyc429]

@@markplott4820 you're right but that's what I mean, years of development could have helped that not have been the current reality

[@zeeb696]

Excellent!

[@hfe1833]

Finally I found updated and good video for EV1

[@christopherwilliams9418]

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.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I think if they would reproduce the EV1 with new computers and software an li-ion batteries, it would be a smashing hit.

[@alancobbin1310]

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 👍

[@BigCar2]

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.

[@alancobbin1310]

Big Car same here ,will never know for sure .

[@benfidar]

I saw one in 2010.. UW Madison has one, I assume, to this day. It runs too!

[@RRW359]

I'm finishing VOY Season 1 while watching this. I nearly dies when he showed that LCARS panel.

[@JohnnoDordrecht]

Very interesting episode, how is it possible for a big firm to miss the boat

[@mattkaustickomments]

Johnno Dordrecht, I don’t know...ask the Edsel.

[@pHD77]

They didn't miss the boat - they just got off the boat too soon.

[@postersm7141]

Liked and subscribed

[@matthewgodwin3050]

It's a pity they didn't introduce it 15 years later on. It would have been a huge success instead of a missed opportunity. Classic case of right car, wrong time.

[@Jerra3007]

Oeee noo that crushed Volvo 850 breaks my heart

[@1954Antony]

Funny how you can no longer find the original documentary on YT, It used to be here.

[@sos10]

Family car replacement? It was a 2 seater with limited booth space.

[@catjudo1]

A plain woman and two cats in the passenger seat. That's a family!

[@viplanet]

There are families of two :)

[@whizzdom6923]

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…..

[@michael1234252]

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.

[@Psycandy]

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!

[@nuss529]

That car even got more range than many EV's today have

[@inkyguy]

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]

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

[@wrenchedfor30wrench20]

Good looking car...

[@inkyguy]

@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]

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.

[@EfrainMcshell]

That was in Berkeley at Ashby station I think

[@wrenchedfor30wrench20]

Gm style has always been stand alone ,in my opinion.

[@FrankJohn]

It's a pity they hadn't the foresight like Tesla.

[@iluvcamaros1912]

This literally preceded the Tesla. GM had foresight, they lacked follow through.

[@pHD77]

@@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)

[@stickynorth]

To be honest GM should revive this JUST as as halo car in the new age to show everyone that YES they've changed. So much so that the old favorite is back... Even with lead acid batteries this thing could still do what almost everyone needs it to do to this day, much less with NiCad or even Lithium-Ions instead! I know I always wanted to own one of these just as much as my childhood dream car the Smart Fortwo...

[@toddaulner5393]

Would love to make a drag car out of one of these.

[@julianholm7531]

0:47 buddyyyyy!!! NORWAY GANG

[@wojciechmuras553]

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!