GM EV1, 1997

Battery-powered electric cars were on the roads early this century but they didn’t last. They had a limited range, and a bulky battery pack made up almost half their weight. Adding more batteries improved the range but used up passenger space and added even more weight, which used up more energy, which reduced their range again.

Today more efficient battery cars are re-emerging. The GM EV1 is one example. It was designed by General Motors in response to a 1985 Californian law which decreed that by 1998 two percent of cars sold there would have zero emissions to reduce air pollution caused by car exhausts. That deadline has been extended but GM released the EV1 in December 1996.

With a range of 80 to 145 km on a single charge, the Electric Vehicle 1 has all the safety, performance and comfort of a ‘normal’ car but none of the emissions. It can go from 0 to 100 kph in less than 9 seconds and has an electronically-regulated top speed of 129 kmh.
Particular attention has been paid to the weight and aerodynamics of the EV1 to overcome the weight penalty of batteries — its mass is just 817 kg plus 533 kg of batteries.

GM EV1, 1997 (interior) .

GM EV1, courtesy of Holden Limited

The EV1 takes three hours to recharge via an electrical induction system. Or it can use standard ‘plug-in’ power which takes up to 15 hours. Soon-to-be-introduced nickel metal hydride batteries may reduce recharging time to 20 minutes.

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