Autoline on Autoblog with John McElroy
HEY GM, BRING BACK THE EV1A decade ago General Motors put one of the coolest cars of all time on the road, the EV1. While there were a number of hard-core EV enthusiasts who became passionately committed to the car, it never caught on with the masses. But that was then and this is now. GM should seriously consider putting the EV1 back into production.
John McElroy is host of the TV program "Autoline Detroit". Every week he brings his unique insights as an auto industry insider to Autoblog readers. Follow the jump to continue reading this week's editorial.
First off, it would be so simple. The car is already designed, engineered and developed. Why not milk more money out of your intellectual property? All they would have to do is dust off the CAD data. I doubt the tooling is lying around, so it would have to be duplicated. But GM could bring the EV1 back into production far faster than a typical new program would take.
And this time around demand would be brisk. When the EV1 came out gasoline was selling for a little over $1 dollar a gallon in the U.S. and people had absolutely no interest in a two-seater that could barely travel 70 miles per charge. Today, with gas at $4 a gallon, there's a totally different mindset out there. People are desperate to slash their commuting costs. The EV1 would draw in a lot more people today than it did a decade ago.
I was wowed by the EV1 when it came out. It was a terrific little car, fast off the line, with crisp handling and a driving experience unlike anything else on the road. The early ones had an aggressive regenerative braking program that slowed the car noticeably when you backed off the accelerator. You could dive into turns, back off, and not have to touch the brakes. And man was that car quiet! In fact, at low speeds you could even hear the hushed ssssshhhhh of the rear brake pads pressing against the drums as you came to a stop.
One of my favorite features was a keypad on the center console that allowed you to program the temperature inside the car. You could choose the time of day for the heater or ac to come on. For example, if you had to drive off on a cold winter morning, you could set it to be toasty warm five minutes before you left the house. On a hot summer day you could program the air conditioning to come on before you had to go anywhere. It was as easy as setting an alarm clock. And it ensured the batteries would always be "topped off" instead of taking a big hit from the HVAC.
I should add that all my driving in the EV1 was done with the first generation which only had simple lead-acid batteries. Later versions had nickel-metal hydride batteries. The point is, I was knocked out by the car even with the lowest tech batteries available.
Remember, the prototype for the EV1, called the GM Impact, was done by the late Paul McCready and his elite team of crack engineers at Aerovironment. McCready was one of the most creative inventors this country has ever produced and it would be great to see his legacy live on by bringing the EV1 back.
GM offered the EV1 through Saturn dealers in Southern California. Imagine what a new EV1 could do for Saturn right now. People would flock to the showrooms, something that Saturn desperately needs because even with one of the most handsome line-ups of vehicles in the business, sales are tepid.
Of course, if it were ever to consider reviving the EV1, GM should follow through on its original plan to sell the car worldwide this time around. That would give it the economies of scale it needs to finally turn a profit on it.
Reviving the EV1 would be front page news around the world. It would be the perfect complement to the Volt, and put GM's "green cred" right up there with Toyota and Honda. Just as importantly, GM could finally shake that "Who Killed The Electric Car?" monkey off its back.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Yar 2:38PM (6/27/2008)
Dear John,
No.
Sincerely,
GM
Disclaimer: Opinions are not the opinions of poster, but are rather observed opinions of the current GM management.
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SITEiNK 3:09PM (6/27/2008)
keep drinking until she looks good...
the more expensive gas gets, the better looking this thing becomes.
of course it would not be too hard to give it a simple modern refresh.
SITEiNK 3:30PM (6/27/2008)
you know they could also bring back the 3cyl metro it got around 45mpg and the ford festiva/aspire which got around 40-50.
those simple cars would be a cinch to refresh real quick and kick out.
epilonious 3:47PM (6/27/2008)
Dear John,
Please see this pamphlet on the Volt, which we lovingly consider the "EV2"... as it is an electric-only vehicle that just happens to have a generator if you need to drive more than 50 miles.
If you want an EV1, just don't fill it up.... and enjoy those extra seats.
Blogs and kisses!
General Motors.
MarcT 2:39PM (6/27/2008)
Could there be a bigger no-brainer in automotive history???? The R&D is done, the money's been spent. Not only could they sell 10,000 a month, but the PR, advertising and foot traffic....priceless.
And yes, it was a blast to drive. I had the fortune of doing a test drive. Who says eco cant be fun??
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epilonious 3:48PM (6/27/2008)
Well, if I recall correctly GM lost massive amounts of money for every EV1 leased... even though they were relatively pricey leases.
And GM doesn't seem to have the money to lose on 10,000 in the first year.
The Other Bob 9:01AM (6/30/2008)
Yes, it is true, GM lost about $50,000 on each copy.
It is NOT as easy as dusting off an old design. Old designs are not as good because since the EV1 was designed, manufacturing processes have become more efficient, quality has increased and technology on more than just battery technology has improved.
Not only is the tooling probably gone, but some of the faciltities that made the car are gone. The plastic body panels were likely made along side Saturn panels. Saturns are no longer plastic bodied. Even the small facltory where the EV1 was built is being torn down as we speak.
Bad idea John. Please see the Volt as the new and imporved EV1, which will be priced ay a more realistic level.
Vintage 2:39PM (6/27/2008)
"Never caught on with the masses"
Huh? When was it offered to the masses? Last time I checked it was only offered as a leased vehicle, to a small portion of people in california. It was not 'offered to the masses' at all, nor was it even ever 'sold'. GM refused to allow people to keep leasing them, and destroyed all of them.
If they were still around, think of what crazy mods people would have done with newer battery technology.
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Mobius_1 11:58PM (6/27/2008)
I would hate to be the new latest supercar owner who gets smoked by a modded EV1! Would be a damn cool sight to see though, like Top Gear G-Wiz beating Mustang GT500
Jim 9:12AM (6/29/2008)
Would you have bought one for $80,000?
Vintage 9:30AM (6/30/2008)
$80,000? You're saying that's how much they were worth? Seems like they were worth a lot less since GM decided to crush all of them instead of letting people continue to lease/buy them.
GT 10:00PM (6/27/2008)
I agree, they should bring it back, especially with the advances we have now...I see the EV1 almost everyday now (on display inside one of my college's buildings) and sometimes I imagine what would happen if they brought it back.
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Dude 2:46PM (6/27/2008)
"A decade ago General Motors put one of the coolest cars of all time on the road, the EV1."
Wow! Never has so much FAIL existed in one sentence.
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The Talking Hamburger 11:48PM (6/27/2008)
Dude, you like, so don't know what you speak of.
The EV1 had legit performance while being emissions free. The fact that its program was shut down instead of being refined is why every Tom, Dick, and Harry thinks the Chevy Volt is vaporware.
Thing is, the Chevy Volt should already exist.
catgirlshyla 7:38AM (6/28/2008)
Stop using 4chan memes.
Jim 9:08AM (6/29/2008)
It's too bad most people back then did not think the car was cool enough to pay the high price of the car. Of course you would have liked for GM to sell it for a big lost. Let's say about $20,000 so GM would have lost only $60,000 per car.
Throwback 2:47PM (6/27/2008)
Why can't Honda do an electric Insight? It seems to me that the same thought process would apply to GM reviving the EV-1.
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Jim 9:17AM (6/29/2008)
For some unknown mysterious reason, we like to pick on our USA companies. It's like we want to self destruct and become a second rate nation. No more pride exists.
oby 2:57PM (6/27/2008)
What an absolute crock of crap!
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Dondonel 3:04PM (6/27/2008)
The problem with EV1 was the cost and weight of the battery pack. This issue is in full effect even today. The cost of EV1's battery pack was at least $40,000. The cost would about the same today. There is no way in the world, even if the cost of the gasoline would triple over the current price, that this car would pay for it's battery pack in its entire lifetime, compared to the gasoline consumed by a hybrid.
Forget about it, (fully) electrical cars, like EV1, are not cost effective with the current battery technology.
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