Smithsonian removes GM's EV1 electric car

[douglask]

The central mystery of the new movie "Who Killed the Electric Car?" is why General Motors created a dynamic battery-powered auto that drivers loved, only to crush it to smithereens.

The mystery, meantime, at the National Museum of American History is why a rare surviving example of that car -- a silvery-blue 1997 EV1 sedan -- would be removed from display yesterday just as interest in the innovative vehicle seems bound to grow.

GM, which donated the EV1, happens to be one of the Smithsonian Institution's biggest contributors. A $10 million gift in 2001 paid half the cost of the history museum's new transportation exhibition hall, which was renamed to honor the benefactor. But museum and automaker say the EV1 was removed from view with no thoughts of public reaction to the movie or the display.

> The Washington Post full article

[Flybrian]

Such a beautiful car (and fastest in the world) and shows what GM can do when it puts its mind to it.

[z28luvr01]

Watch its spot get filled with a first-gen Prius

[balthazar]

prius <> National Museum of American History?

[Sixty8panther]

prius <> National Museum of American History?

Some granola eating prick would make the argument

that Toyota is more American than DMX. I'd love to

pop him one right in the mouth.

I don't think the EV-1 was beautiful but it was very

"form follows function" & the Honda Insight ripped

off it;'s teardrop shape & styling.

[Satty]

Um....both were designed to be as aerodynamic as possible. So the Insight and EV-1 ripped off raindrops.

[Mr.Krinkle]

im sure they were just worried after watching this new movie a bunch of treehugging hippies would sneak in during the middle of the night, plug it in for a few minutes, blow it out, and then drive off all high.

who knows.

sheer speculation.

or perhaps its just so they can say "what electric car?"

[Sixty8panther]

The EV1 was a slap in the face of GM from everyone including

the government. All the other manufacturer's dropped the ball

while GM wokred their ass off and reinvented the wheel, just

to have california say... "eh".

[PurdueGuy]

Well, the EV1, while a fantastic vehicle (for what it was) just didn't make economic sense to... almost anyone. They were leased for about $500/month, so only the wealthy could afford them. Then add their limited usefulness (2 seats and minimal cargo space), and they became a status vehicle. With a lower cost, they might have been able to be a pretty good commuter vehicle - they had a range of up to 120 miles IIRC, once they replaced the lead-acid batteries with NiMH. Not too bad for a commuter car (though not good enough for a main or only vehicle).

[Satty]

Plus they took forever to recharge. Great idea but the technology wasn't there for great execution.

[Croc]

Plus they took forever to recharge.  Great idea but the technology wasn't there for great execution.

Bingo

[FAPTurbo]

Plus they took forever to recharge.  Great idea but the technology wasn't there for great execution.

Now Subaru is testing electric cars that recharge to 80% capacity in 15 minutes.

http://www.jalopnik.com/cars/alternative-e...ment-127242.php

This means that my iPod Nano charges slower

[PurdueGuy]

Plus they took forever to recharge.  Great idea but the technology wasn't there for great execution.

Yeah, the charging was another aspect that limited the car's function largely to commuter use (charge overnight, possibly charge while you work). The inductive charging system was pretty cool though - no metal to metal contact, no risk of electrocution, even if you were charging in the rain (though I'm not sure if any of the chargers were ever really exposed to rain).

[Flybrian]

Plus they took forever to recharge.  Great idea but the technology wasn't there for great execution.

Still, clearly years (at least) ahead of anything anyone else was making. Ford stuck a crapload of lead-acid batteries in the bed of a Ranger for their electric car. Chrysler loaded up a minivan with the same.

[hyperv6]

The Ev1 was the best there was but it was still clearly not good enough for the general public.

First off unless you lived in the Southwest or other warm climate you would never see the range needed by most people.

Charging problems and infrastructer was still not in place.

Battery tech still has not caught up. The Batteries are expensive, the cars are not cheap to build and people will not give up their right to go where they want and how far they want.

[Mr.Krinkle]

The Ev1 was the best there was but it was still clearly not good enough for the general public.

First off unless you lived in the Southwest or other warm climate you would never see the range needed by most people.

Charging problems and infrastructer was still not in place.

Battery tech still has not caught up. The Batteries are expensive, the cars are not cheap to build and people will not give up their right to go where they want and how far they want.

just picture that being the main car on the road. everyone or anyone that commutes to work would have been driving that at some point...eventually. it would be the main mode of transport. kinda like the jetsons. sure, other people would be out driving around but the ev1 couldve been like public transportation without the pt.

eventually so many people would buy them and would then be more afordable once the market set a price that was adequate for that average person.

pretty far fetched i know, but if nothing else that ship has sailed now.

it was a good idea that was not at all accepted the time when it was introduced. too bad i guess. cant dwell on it.

[hyperv6]

just picture that being the main car on the road.  everyone or anyone that commutes to work would have been driving that at some point...eventually.  it would be the main mode of transport.  kinda like the jetsons.  sure, other people would be out driving around but the ev1 couldve been like public transportation without the pt.

eventually so many people would buy them and would then be more afordable once the market set a price that was adequate for that average person.

pretty far fetched i know, but if nothing else that ship has sailed now.  

it was a good idea that was not at all accepted the time when it was introduced.  too bad i guess.  cant dwell on it.

Truth is it was a good idea if it never got below 40 degrees, you did not have to travel farther than 50 miles, and had some place to plug it in away from home.

If there were inexpensive Batteries that worked in the cold and lasted for a few hundred miles it would have made it.

In the end the Battery technology is still not there that is why Toyota is using the hybrid approch to cover for the lack of a the needed battery to make it work.

We have the electric motors and mechanical bits to make this work we just lack the cheap reliable power cell to pull it off matter how many you make.

That is where the hydrogen idea comes in. It can generate the power but not cheaply yet and the infrastructer is just not in place.

I believe GM pulled the plug so to speak before they cars got old and problems came up that would have overshadowed amy new efforts they would try later. Lets face it these cars were just as experimental as the Chrysler Turbine cars of the 50's and 60's. That idea sounded good at the time too.

Which ever company can come up first with a cheap reliable power scouce will rule the industry.

Edited June 19, 2006 by hyperv6

[FUTURE_OF_GM]

Great... That's all we need now; a F***ing MOVIE criticizing GM and brainwashing americanTs

[Imaj]

GM should give the electric car another try.

[Olds Guy]

I just saw an EV1 on the road last summer. I guess I didnt know people were still driving them.

[daves87rs]

Just sad.

Hopefully it's out for a wash...

[tmp]

It is sad that it didn't work out. But if anyones to blame, it's the state of California and comsumers. The state took away the electric-only mandate that made the business case for GM remotely feasible. That, and the fact that the money to develop the car further was better used on projects like variable displacement on cars that people would actually buy. GM dropped a billion dollars on this project, the producers of the movie state that there were 5000 people signed up to buy the car. That's $200,000.00 per person. Were they willing to pay that much?

[Buick61]

It was never really prominently displayed. It was on the main floor, right next to the escalator all by itself. People only saw it when they breezed by to to up to the next level.

[PurdueGuy]

I just saw an EV1 on the road last summer.  I guess I didnt know people were still driving them.

They aren't. None were sold, all were leased, and when GM pulled the plug on the program, they didn't allow the leases to be renewed. If you saw one, it was a GM owned one, and odd that it was out running about. Most were crushed.