Remember the GM EV1 Electric Car Leased by Saturn?

[Charlie]

A new feeditems entry has been added:

[drupal=3449]Remember the GM EV1 Electric Car Leased by Saturn?[/drupal]

Darryl Siry from Wired: The GM EV1 was an electric vehicle that was a technical triumph for the time. It generated passion-fueled controversy that still reverberates today. The technological innovations of the EV1 went well beyond the battery pack, inverter and AC induction motor that propelled the car without using any gasoline. The lead-acid battery pack could store only 17 kilowatt-hours for the first generation, roughly equivalent to half a gallon of gasoline. As a result, GM engineers had to do everything they could to reduce the weight and aerodynamic drag of the car to achieve a workable range.

[Starduster_Sat]

Typical GM subversive behavior- create something innovative, and then find ways to kill it. Being repeated as we speak.

How many of these survive?

[2NDSOUT]

Originally Posted by Starduster_Sat

Typical GM subversive behavior- create something innovative, and then find ways to kill it. Being repeated as we speak.

How many of these survive?

I think there are *maybe* a few...I know that there is one in Wisconsin at the University of Wisconsin that was reverse engineered by some engineering students.

The majority of them were crushed in the Arizona Desert. All you need to do is watch/rent "Who Killed the Electric Car" to see the carnage left by GM in the wake of the EV-1.

[eRic 02sc2]

yeah I remember the EV1 and saw several of them parked outside Saturn offices in Troy back when they were called the "Impact".

[emg77]

Quite a few were donated to museums. I know in the Detroit area, the Detroit Science Center and the Henry Ford Museum both have one. They had a computer part removed so that they are not driveable.

I saw one a few years back driving around Troy, MI, (long after they were all destroyed or donated), so I assume GM must still have a few that are still operational. I didn't get close enough to verify that it had manufacturer plates, but it was definitely an EV1 and I was quite shocked to see it.

[Kimosen]

Was this post specifically desgned to provoke trolls?

[madpogue]

Originally Posted by emg77

... and I was quite shocked to see it.

<Rim-shot>

Originally Posted by Kimosen

Was this post specifically desgned to provoke trolls?

Exceedingly unlikely, given that it was started by the forum administrator, and that half of the replies come from long-standing highly-valued active forum contributors, and that it takes a tight stretch of the imagination to consider any of the other replies even remotely troll-like.

[Charlie]

Originally Posted by Kimosen

Was this post specifically desgned to provoke trolls?

Nope, its just part of SaturnFans.com's month-long "flashback" at Saturn.

Charlie

[2NDSOUT]

Originally Posted by emg77

Quite a few were donated to museums. I know in the Detroit area, the Detroit Science Center and the Henry Ford Museum both have one. They had a computer part removed so that they are not driveable.

I saw one a few years back driving around Troy, MI, (long after they were all destroyed or donated), so I assume GM must still have a few that are still operational. I didn't get close enough to verify that it had manufacturer plates, but it was definitely an EV1 and I was quite shocked to see it.

It's kind of unfortunate really, that GM only marketed the EV-1 as a lease vehicle and only made them available in the Southwest part of the U.S. Then again; I have read the the lease payments on them was excruciating..

[s3nfo]

They had EV-1's at one of the many GM drive and compare days that I went to here in San Diego, so I've actually driven one. Great torque off the line, but they had 30 EV-1's on the field in order to keep 6 running on the track with 24 on charge at all times.

[ttreibel]

It was so sad to see them over on Riverside collecting dust. You can still find charging stations around the LA area not sure if they are working anymore. I still can't believe they canned the program in favor for the Hummer brand? Time will tell if the Chevy Volt will be a hit, for GM's sake it better. I think America wants a 40MPG Suburban more than an electric car.

[XRL]

Originally Posted by ttreibel

I think America wants a 40MPG Suburban more than an electric car.

This is very, very true. Looks how well vehicles like the Flex and Lambdas are doing. Huge vehicles with tons of space and decent fuel economy. A 40mpg Suburban would outsell the Volt by a huge margin.

[Kimosen]

Originally Posted by madpogue

<Rim-shot>

Exceedingly unlikely, given that it was started by the forum administrator, and that half of the replies come from long-standing highly-valued active forum contributors, and that it takes a tight stretch of the imagination to consider any of the other replies even remotely troll-like.

It just seems like every time someone mentions the EV1, ten people jump on the "GM is the stupidest company evar" bandwagon. It gets tiresome to read.

[2NDSOUT]

Originally Posted by Kimosen

It just seems like every time someone mentions the EV1, ten people jump on the "GM is the stupidest company evar" bandwagon. It gets tiresome to read.

Trust me...I would have rather seen GM continue to do R & D to improve the EV-1 over a period of 5+ years rather than seeing them take all of them into the Arizona Desert and crushing them... Granted the lease payments on them were outrageous...I would have liked to see GM take them from being a lease only vehicle to being a viable vehicle that could have been sold around the country and at least made some money.

I just read an article today that included Chelsea Sexton (who was a big supporter of the EV-1 when it debuted, and she also worked for Saturn.)...where she feels that the Chevy Volt is Deja Vu for GM all over again...

http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/...r-from-the-ev1

[adventureoflink]

Originally Posted by XRL

This is very, very true. Looks how well vehicles like the Flex and Lambdas are doing. Huge vehicles with tons of space and decent fuel economy. A 40mpg Suburban would outsell the Volt by a huge margin.

Of course, as Americans, we gotta have bigger and better

either way, wanna see a 40mpg+ suburban? this is what you'd have to do:

1) offer a diesel
2) put a warm ram intake on that diesel
3) make it a V6 hybrid
and 4) not make the diesel complete CRAP

...and even still you'd prolly get around 27-30MPG.

[XRL]

They actually made Diesel Suburbans back in the day. Rumors were the new smaller V8 diesel would find its way into light trucks and SUVs. But that probably won't happen now.

[adventureoflink]

Originally Posted by XRL

They actually made Diesel Suburbans back in the day. Rumors were the new smaller V8 diesel would find its way into light trucks and SUVs. But that probably won't happen now.

Yeah, except they need to bring em back. I know Low Saturn would be all over that thing..

[onefunkar]

a straight electric car would be a tough sell in the minnesota climate .

[rossao1]

Originally Posted by Starduster_Sat

Typical GM subversive behavior- create something innovative, and then find ways to kill it. Being repeated as we speak.

How many of these survive?

It was the fact that the "GM" has a brand name that I was expecting the saturn brand, pontiac brand, et, al. To be rolled in to one unit. Alas, poor saturn, we knew knew thee well.

The Impact, or EV1, what ever it was is a perfect example of when engineers designe a car withthe over sight of a true marketing dept.

No back seat?
costs HOW MUCH!?!
40 miles range?
plastic panels?
Semi-exotic materials?

But as an engineer, I can say that without a marketing dept to keep us honest, you would get more cars like this.

[Kooler King]

Originally Posted by rossao1

It was the fact that the "GM" has a brand name that I was expecting the saturn brand, pontiac brand, et, al. To be rolled in to one unit. Alas, poor saturn, we knew knew thee well.

The Impact, or EV1, what ever it was is a perfect example of when engineers designe a car withthe over sight of a true marketing dept.

No back seat?
costs HOW MUCH!?!
40 miles range?
plastic panels?
Semi-exotic materials?

But as an engineer, I can say that without a marketing dept to keep us honest, you would get more cars like this.

Don't you mean, "as marketing, I can say that without engineers to keep us honest, you would get more cars like this"?

Sales & marketing will invent and spins all sorts of not-ready products and blame engineering for foot dragging on the "cold fusion battery" or whatever wish-list product is not ready for prime-time. To then not look bad, the marketing folks will throw out some half-assed product that mimics the original idea, give it a shiny coat of paint, then apply a catchy product name that evokes some dreamy desire fulfilled.

Clearly this was a case of marketing trying to push something onto the public that wasn't ready. I doubt the engineers wanted this in the public's hands ... the lease approach was a compromise to pull these back in when marketing was finished having its fun.