The General Motors EV-1: A Rare Survivor, in Ohio!

Рет қаралды 98,975

11 жыл бұрын

Some 40 EV-1s lived through the crushing of most of the 1,100-car production run, and ended up at universities and research centers--minus key drive components. Some intrepid students have gotten them running again. Jim Motavalli reports.

Пікірлер: 189

@1ofEve 9 жыл бұрын

I would totally jack this thing and do donuts outside of GM headquarters every fuckin day

@WlerickBigotOfficial 7 жыл бұрын

This car with modern tires and a new battery pack would be so awesome !! Shame on GM -_-

@X2tream_Arrow 4 жыл бұрын

Neo*UPR*2022 I would totally want to do that !!!! I wonder how you can get it street legal🤔

@elgatodecafe4725 3 жыл бұрын

26 bateries un series

@WlerickBigotOfficial 3 жыл бұрын

@@X2tream_Arrow I would love to do it too, but unfortunately only a few models of this car are still existing today, we can't buy them and I don't think they can be street legal in US or where I live in Europe. The better solution (it would be an absolut dream actually) would be that a startup remake such an awesome car from scratch with modern technologies (3D printing and AI generated design would be mindblowing, like the Czinger 21C) and sell it massively for a good price (not too expensive). I guess the closest reincarnation of this car that we have today is the electric Aptera three wheeler, I realy love the super aero and futuristic design, but for an everyday use I think I'd prefer the EV1.

@dylanbong6768 2 жыл бұрын

It wasn't gm it was the oil and gas industries that killed it off

@OversteerAllDay Жыл бұрын

Shame on the people who currently own it for disabling it and leaving it to rot in their parking lot

@P00katube 6 жыл бұрын

Whoever ordered the NEEDLESS destruction of the GM EV-1 vehicles MUST BE HANGED IN PUBLIC!!!!!

@DehnusNorder 8 жыл бұрын

Talk about how vindictive GM was, they even disabled the ones in the Car Museums. The only one not disabled is the one for the Smithsonian (as they required it to work), but that one hasn't been on display in ages. Probably had a date with the Crusher and a giggling CEO taking a Politician on a date.

@j.thesuper923 8 жыл бұрын

there are still some around

@DehnusNorder 8 жыл бұрын

Jeff Maxwell The only "official working one" is in the hands of the SMithsonian, the rest has been disabled. Sure some Universities fixed theirs themselves, but GM is suing them.

@j.thesuper923 8 жыл бұрын

There's a documentary on KZfaq right now and one of the designers still has her car in working order, there's 10 to 12 that were never crushed, we have all the books and documented history of the whole vehicle and "missing" vehicles at my place of employment.

@DehnusNorder 8 жыл бұрын

Jeff Maxwell Proof please, as otherwise I'll just sign you up as a "GM Fanboy" that wants to deny that GM acted like a total jerk in the history of the EV1. I am willing to beleive it, as some Universities also restored theirs only to get sued by GM. LIke either putting replacement drivetrains in or fixing the "software disabling". (There should be about 25 till 50 they say like that, given to universities and car museums). If you know of 12 that drive on the streets and are legal, I would love to see that and the proof that goes with it. As really, GM wend extremely far to make sure they would never see one driving again, to a point of just being total arseholes. Sorry for calling you a "fanboy", I just find it hard to believe that there are 12 street legal ones that GM didn't sue.

@j.thesuper923 8 жыл бұрын

+DehnusNorder I for real told you it's a lady on KZfaq with hers research for yourself, "fanboy" thanks for the laugh, I'm man BTW, And I've worked for GM for twenty years so I simply have more knowledge of it than you.

@Satchmoeddie 8 жыл бұрын

I lived in Phoenix which was one of TWO test markets for the EV1. GM took the drive trains from ALL the EV1s. There are a few electric GMs that escaped without the running gear being destroyed. Monti's Steak House leased a bunch of EV1s, and they were a blast to drive! 90 MPH top speed, but they were really quick. You could be eeking your way to the HOV lane get into the HOV lane and go from 7 MPH to 70 in about 5 seconds. The second generation batteries made the EV 1 the perfect car for commuting. Electricity to charge the EV1 cost about the same as 17 cent per gallon gasoline. There was not any messy oil, antifreeze, transmission fluid, air filter, oil filter, oil pumps water pumps, belts, hoses or other ancillary crap systems gasoline cars need to run.

@dogphlap6749 7 жыл бұрын

The EV1 was developed in-house by GM engineers so a lot of potentially valuable knowledge was gained that could have been built on for subsequent EV2, EV3 etc. I don't think any car since has had such a low drag coefficient. The first examples were lead acid battery powered but latter ones had NiMH cells (GM sold the patents for the use of NiMH cells to power EVs, they ended up in the hands of Texaco who sat on them, other than to use their army of lawyers to sue or threaten to sue anyone who might think of using those cells in an EV). Contrast the in-house development of the EV1 to the buying in of completed technology for the GM Bolt, also a good car but 60% the work of LG (and that is the smart 60%, not the dumb rolling chassis that GM contributed). GM has not been serious about EVs since the EV1 recall. Just like Charlie Brown I keep hoping that GM has changed but just like Lucy pulling the ball away at the last moment GM forever disappoints.

@theoldaccidontuseanymore696 6 жыл бұрын

@Sniffmesexy 5 жыл бұрын

Let Doug DeMuro drive it! Lol

@LeoDeki 5 жыл бұрын

hell no

@marcco954 5 жыл бұрын

Thhhhis! is rare EV1!

@UmmYeahOk 3 жыл бұрын

too many quirks and features

@thearousedeunuch 3 жыл бұрын

It doesn't have a drivetrain, sadly.

@PfhUkJiu101 5 жыл бұрын

Doug brought me here...

@ondago2 5 ай бұрын

Yeah, I used to see this one ever few weeks when I was down there to visit the students for the CX program. Really cool to see. I should have agreed then to check it out. I'm glad you did. I was too busy with the Equinox and marveling at the land speed rocket car

@saneauto 6 жыл бұрын

Hello Jim thank you for filming this cool EV I hit your red button 566. I found and filmed a surviving EV1 in Georgia just last week. Fully stock, It has a 95 mile range. Ive already uploaded it to my page. I also filmed one of the first Electric cars made in US. It is over 110 years old and still works.

@Paul-gz5dp 6 жыл бұрын

So true, and if cars were not made out of materials such as thin steel so that they will rust away most would still be on the road years later, and they could make a profit off of such cars. That is because people wreck them and need to be replaced. Also because parts wear out, oil needs changed even with electric motors.

@terrytowner419Honey 4 жыл бұрын

saneauto I found one in a garage around Atlanta.

@aminorjourney 11 жыл бұрын

Love to see an article on this, Jim. It's great to see one out of a museum and parked in a lot -- even if it isn't working right now :(

@TouretteTV96 6 жыл бұрын

If the college wants money I will pay! I really want it!

@RealMudSkipper 5 жыл бұрын

Super cool, thanks for sharing.

@bicyclist2 5 жыл бұрын

I always wanted one when it came out. But I was still in High school. I remember seeing an advert somewhere a year or so ago for this very car. I've seen this very car in person two years ago. I hope it still survives. Thank you so much for showing. This was the topic of the documentary "Who killed the electric car". If you haven't seen it I highly recommend it.

@RpMTarTar Жыл бұрын

Finally for once, something cool in Ohio.

@aserta 7 жыл бұрын

There are a few that survived beyond the known records. I remember even reading about a few guys who stole one from the crusher, but i can't attest to the validity of the stories beyond whatever pictures the articles had. I'm sure there's still some online. Either way, GM showed (again) their horse glasses attitude towards the future of their company. HAD, they kept it a running unit of cars, today, they would've been atop Tesla. I mean, think about it, a proper car manufacturer, with a lot of R&D that Tesla (and other EC companies) can't afford. And it shows in their products. However much we glorify Tesla, they had some shitty line cars, even now, with their latest cars, there's still issues pertaining to the lack of experience. And we all know prior experience in this kind of field is king. Amazing how cuboid the intelligence of GM (and other car companies) is. Or rather, lack of...

@deloreanman14 9 жыл бұрын

I remember sitting in one of these at the 1998 Seattle Auto Show. It was a goofy car then and it's still weird-looking now.

@soundcompu 9 жыл бұрын

Increíble. Sobrevivo uno excelente. Gracias por el video

@QuantumBraced 9 жыл бұрын

It really is the oddest f***king thing for a company to deliberately mass destroy their best and most demanded product and then to be so paranoid with the few remaining units that they remove the drive trains to make sure they can't go on the road. I know it's because of the reversal of the EV law in California, and a fear of undercutting their other product lines, but honestly, it's still insane. You can easily have both a gas and an electric car line and profit from both. They are true morons. This is easily their best product, all of their other cars are trash.

@xtort107 9 жыл бұрын

QuantumBraced GM didn't remove the drive train, its sorta a teaching tool and they had it removed at the time.

@MikeMikeSmith 8 жыл бұрын

+QuantumBraced The EV1 had a list of people wanting to lease them yes, but the production costs were much higher then GM thought they could sell them for. You have to remember this was before the government offered a federal tax credit and very few people were interested in spending that kind of money on a 2 seater electric car. I can assure you if the subsidy was not around today, neither would the Leaf, Volt or Model S. Its easier to sell a product when the government pays 7-12k per unit, its hip and other company's are dumb enough to buy your "carbon credits".

@raine2005 8 жыл бұрын

+QuantumBraced There was a reason GM needed to be bailed out in 2009 or else go bankrupt. It's decisions like this. Its too bad my hard earned tax dollars had to go into propping up this failed company

@billking6404 8 жыл бұрын

+michael smith People were lined up to buy these cars whatever the cost was, are you saying that GM crushed these cars than to sell them, and they supervised the crushing making sure no one can drive them. It made lots of people angry and this is why GM will be on life support from goverment hand out.

@MikeMikeSmith 8 жыл бұрын

+Bill King Tesla, Ford and Nissan offer electric cars now... Go buy one! A group of people offered a million dollars to buy the EV1's, since it was considered a "prototype", it could have cost GM allot more legally.The vehicle could have also had a massive fault that we don't know about. That said, the EV1's battery was known to burn up rather quickly. After a few hundred charged, range and recharge times were all over the map.

@SnepperStepTV Жыл бұрын

This car still existing is the automotive equivalent of putting the bathrobe in your bag when you check out of the hotel.

@CalvinGeorgeSisyphus 5 жыл бұрын

What's happening to GM is the same thing that happened to KODAK.

@iiplaya 7 жыл бұрын

I don’t like the exterior design that much but I’d love one 😦

@channell11 3 жыл бұрын

That car's been there forever. It was sitting out front when I graduated in 2003.

@Cyberwolfman 5 жыл бұрын

If I ever am in the area I'd love to take a picture of it and my Model 3 together!

@thomasleemullins4372 6 жыл бұрын

I am glad they saved that one. It gives everyone a chance to see what they are like. I never understood the reason they all had to be destroyed. I think they should have given the leasers a chance to buy the car they were using. I think GM should revive the Geo line to be their battery electric car division. The name Geo implies 'earth' and BEV is green.

@sparkplug1018 6 жыл бұрын

If they'd allowed those people to buy them, they'd be required to support them for I believe 5 years. That means dealerships being able to service them and parts being available for them. Hardly a profitable situation to support 1100 cars that way. So in the end they simply exercise the option to not sell it to the person who leased it.

@VoodooGMusic 5 жыл бұрын

Untrue. GM wanted to proove that there was no demand, and if every single leaser of the EV1 had bought it, that argument would have obviously been destroyed. There is no legal requirement for a car company to support parts for any car after it is sold.

@sparkplug1018 5 жыл бұрын

While it seems that you are correct, are you suggesting that GM allow these people to buy these vehicles and then tell them they're SOL on parts for repairs, and also that they're not getting a warranty on them? And no, the aftermarket wouldn't bother with it either, hard enough to find certain parts for common vehicles. Not to mention the PR nightmare that would create, can imagine the headlines and lawsuits that would have resulted. Also how many are we talking about a few thousand, can't recall the exact number. Unless we are talking about a Ferrari that doesn't constitute a demand. Face it, there was some demand, but not the demand that would have sold the car, GM screwed up thinking their would be, and got out before it cost them real money.

@emisariodesabiduria3229 11 ай бұрын

NFS high stakes brought back this car as a tribute called Phantom. Video : NFS High Stakes Phantom. There you gooooo

@taroepisode 4 жыл бұрын

whats with the odd effect where the car seems to warp a bit in the beginning? its bothering me

@jimmot 11 жыл бұрын

Look for an article on PlugInCars that has the full story of not only this car but a bunch of other university EV-1s. And the EV-2, too!

@TuanLe-yq7vx 4 жыл бұрын

What a powerful reminder. Some people think we need legacy auto makers for the transitioning to a 100% ev future. I think they’re the ones that holding it back.

@channell11 3 жыл бұрын

Maybe. I think the EV1 was ahead of it's time. At the time it was made, it was far too expensive and its performance/range too limited. GM ultimately had to please shareholders and respond to customer demand-which didn't favor electric vehicles at the time. Tesla operated at a loss for years but kept going because investor and customer enthusiasm was so strong.

@VintageGamerLtd 6 жыл бұрын

Hey Jim, nice video! Does Ohio State have it parked out in the open for people to see?

@myownsummrr 4 жыл бұрын

is this the original shift stick?

@solarstacks 7 жыл бұрын

I also live in the Phoenix area. I saw all the good running EV1's taken to the GM Proving grounds and then crushed. A secret is the 100 EV1 drive train S-10 Pickups they made. A friend bought them all and refurbished they with NiMH batteries from the EV1's that were being crushed. I was chased by GM security people as I took pictures of them before they were crushed. I was on my bicycle so they could never catch me. The few EV1 cars that were donated to Colleges like BYU has the drive trains and batteries removed. My friend revived the BYU car with a drive train and batteries from a EV1 car before it got crushed. BYU could only drive it on their campus since the leagal rights said never to place it back on the road. The EV1 car had terrible EMF power that caused cancer and blood cell failure. You couldn't even run an AM radio since the electric EMF fields were so back. New Electrics are much better and have very long lasting Lithium batteries with thermal control on all new EV's except a Brand, the LEAF. We are so much further ahead with Tesla leading the way with no mandates needed. Electrics are 4x more efficent than gas and faster and safer.

@yootoober2009 Жыл бұрын

Why hasn't anyone made an EV-1 replica yet?

@cruisenwith 9 жыл бұрын

Jim I am having a electric car show this summer do you have contact info on this car ?

@bored1980 11 жыл бұрын

Magic. What a treat to sit in! Such a waste of research, time, effort, and money to just crush the things. I imagine they'd be comparatively cheap to produce nowadays too.

@heyduderedden7577 6 жыл бұрын

At least these wouldn’t suffer the 3.8 valve cover gasket recall. I STILL get the recall letters for my 97 Pontiac GTP.

@Mike-01234 4 жыл бұрын

GM removed the power system and brushless motor from what I heard the ones which were not crushed sent to museums, or like this one used for students.

@abahdaddy3889 4 жыл бұрын

CRUSH NEW CAR....CRAZY

@Platerising 11 жыл бұрын

I hate the KZfaq stabilizer!

@WelshTrainspottingYT 2 жыл бұрын

Type in the location on google earth and you will find it!

@z-army481 7 жыл бұрын

could I possibly buy this car?

@akzebraminer5679 7 жыл бұрын

Z-Army just get a Tesla model 3 because it's cheaper and better in every way...

@akzebraminer5679 7 жыл бұрын

Uzzle the Puzzle I said it's better because the EV1 was made a while ago... the EV1 is an extremely good car and I really like it

@akzebraminer5679 7 жыл бұрын

Uzzle the Puzzle *that was the quickest response I have ever seen lol*

@787brx8 5 жыл бұрын

They leave this outside most of the time. You can tell by the sun faded clear coat.

@jimmysmithers5526 3 жыл бұрын

Funny a car made in Michigan at a Ohio State campus. 〽️

@felixnuwahid9879 5 жыл бұрын

When you know you are the one who doesnt get crushed to ashes

@Jushwa 2 жыл бұрын

A damn shame it’s left outside like that

@cleovidrine8673 6 жыл бұрын

If you want the ev1 to come back well gas either has to run out or be deemed dangerous to keep on market a gallon of gas is 14 sticks of dynamite and flammable.

@kevinc9006 6 жыл бұрын

You seen how the went out and destroyed them all.....damn

@jeroenjansen2709 4 жыл бұрын

Capatism leads to a dictatorship by monopolies. You would expect freemarket conditions and great technological innovations. As long as the old stuff is bringing in the profits no one is going to upset the applecart. What they will do is push up the prices each year and slowly introduce cosmetic gadgets.

@treegaming4606 Жыл бұрын

He say this car is endangered species 👁️👄👁️

@chemicalspore 6 жыл бұрын

UNICORN

@doginu 6 жыл бұрын

They just Neutered it, without the drive train it's just a Saturn

@Richierich1285 9 жыл бұрын

I'm calling gm and telling they forgot to crush one of their golf karts

@DrEEAyM 8 жыл бұрын

tech specs? images under the hood?

@spazzman90 6 жыл бұрын

Need to throw a Spark EV drivetrain in there......

@myriampiervil3446 8 жыл бұрын

ev1 was discontinued

@MrAppltec 4 жыл бұрын

Myriam Piervil no shit...

@beanapprentice1687 3 жыл бұрын

Wait really? I wanted to buy one

@reneveah440 3 жыл бұрын

I wonder in 2021 if someone was smart enough and knew how to get these cars working again if they would still not allow them on the road considering how there's electric cars all over the place now

@C4_316 5 жыл бұрын

Thats supposed to be under Denver in that underground city😂

@jorgetoloza269 4 жыл бұрын

Woooooxwers....

@rickslife 5 жыл бұрын

GM made way for Tesla to take the lead.

@cawfeedawg 6 жыл бұрын

Im sure GMs restrictions are unenforceble after all this time..

@josephpadula2283 3 жыл бұрын

Especially as the company that wrote the contract is bankrupt? Would the new company waste time and bad PR to enforce?

@paulmakresias3881 6 жыл бұрын

Looks like a Saturn

@vendmaster7107 6 жыл бұрын

Simply put...... AMERICAN GREED , people......need I elaborate??!!

@sparkplug1018 6 жыл бұрын

People complain about GM pulling these all back, but can never state exactly how much interest there was. And I don't care about the "oh id have bought one" people, I mean the people who actually placed orders. We all want to blame the oil industry, oh its some big conspiracy! Never actually acknowledging that maybe there just wasn't enough interest in it to make it profitable, and that the EV1 was simply a car well ahead of its time. Also worth mentioning, wheres the hate on Chrysler for killing the Chrysler Turbine? That car would run on absolutely anything flammable that you could dump in the tank! Jet fuel, kerosene, alcohol, diesel, gas, literally anything. As for the 1100 cars they called back, keep in mind that if they'd let them stay in private ownership, they'd have to support them with parts and service for 5+ years! Hardly a profitable idea right?

@francoorozco3662 9 жыл бұрын

I wonder how an ev1 would look like in 2015

@famouz1994 9 жыл бұрын

like a Tesla

@lockheed12345 8 жыл бұрын

+Veronica Orozco Like a Chevy Volt.

@gccmty 8 жыл бұрын

+Veronica Orozco Chevrolet Volt is the answer (Chevrolet Volt is derived from a certain GM EV1 Concept-Car from the Late 90's that doesn't reach the public release)

@cpufreak101 8 жыл бұрын

i'd have to say the Chevy Bolt is the real replacement for the EV1, and the only reason they aren't trying to shut it down and push out 10 MPG SUV's are CAFE standards, the further a company is below standards, the more heavily it is fined, and EV's can give a massive boost to a CAFE score since electric is like rated at 300 something MPG just for a comparison point, idk why though

@philipleonardo798 6 жыл бұрын

GM is the old thinking that profits goes first than innovation EV 1 was sold to oil company now they are going back to electric car.Old thinking dies too .

@AdamSmith-gs2dv 5 жыл бұрын

They went back to the EV because cheaper and more efficient Lithium ion batteries made EVs more practical. Still they have alot of short comings to over come such as the fact we need a standard charge port for all cars which supports fast charging and the fact there aren't many recharge stations (yes there are the Super Chargers but Tesla sucks since they use a proprietary connector thus limiting their use to their cars)

@flipnotrab 4 жыл бұрын

I don’t understand why more of the people that leased these (no, you could NOT buy) didn’t just have a bunch of them “stolen”😎😎 They could have easily been reverse engineered. Sad.

@Titanic19127 4 жыл бұрын

Why wouldn’t you drive it on the street?

@DerBlauzahn 5 жыл бұрын

Such a shame!

@hypothebai4634 4 жыл бұрын

If GM had any brains at all they would remove these restrictions and work to restore these remaining vehicles. Imaging the good media it would give them. Not holding my breath though.

@hexabenja Жыл бұрын

Only in Ohio

@Nahil09 5 ай бұрын

Mf making ohio jokes in 2023

@christianocampos158 4 жыл бұрын

RESTORE IT AND FIX IT AND SELL IT TO THE MASSES

@joedirt7091 7 жыл бұрын

WOW talking hunting for unicorns?

@piraat6666 6 жыл бұрын

Musk went back in time with Tesla model 69 and killed EV-1.

@UnitedRecording 8 жыл бұрын

Plot twist: Tesla killed EV1 to avoid competition

@vendmaster7107 6 жыл бұрын

UnitedRecording Tesla will be out of business in about 3 years

@markm0000 6 жыл бұрын

Tesla will get the Model 3 produced and bounce to the top of the car market.

@vendmaster7107 6 жыл бұрын

Mark M lol

@Neojhun 6 жыл бұрын

Vend Master Put your money where your mouth it. Short your Life Saving On Tesla if you truly believe that.

@Patchuchan 6 жыл бұрын

Tesla would not exist until a year after the EV1 was killed. In fact it was that event that motivated the founders to create the company.

@Clement.V 2 жыл бұрын

1990 hey ! if we trying to create a very well designed car with Electric engine 2022 hey ! if we don't trying to create a very well designed car with a Electric engine

@victoryepik1950 Жыл бұрын

For sure this car deserves to be resurrected

@darylphipps8663 6 жыл бұрын

At 27 seconds you state it doesnt hsve a drive train in it. So naturaly it cant be driven on the street. Do-Do bird? Yes! A stuffed one. Gm took the guts/drive train out of it so it cant be studied/cloned. Sorry folks...some things just need to be said.

@Slacksfifth 6 жыл бұрын

That car is now gone, G.M changed their minds and found out.

@hmorris 4 жыл бұрын

This exact car has diminished and is now in the worst condition

@ben8090 6 жыл бұрын

This Car would wipe out most Western economies as we rely heavily on Oil and Gas...just think of the lost revenue from the Spark plug/ and oil/air filter companies not to mention the oil industry!!..no Govt is going to be happy with the loss in revenue!!

@VoodooGMusic 5 жыл бұрын

Only partly true. But yes the EV will disrupt the modern economy, and it'll happen much sooner than many people think. Take a step back now, and look at how many 20k - 40k dollar EV's are currently on the market new, it's quite a lot actually, nad in 3 years, all the major car companies from Europe will have brought out their EV fleets which they've been working on for years, so many of the cars that are now 20k - 40k will be resold and for only half the price. Anyone will be able to afford them, there will be a huge boom in EV sales all of a sudden. especially in Europe, where there are currently companies heavily investing in a CCS based EV quickcharging network. There will be no reason for the consumer to choose a gas car over an EV anymore. The days of the gas engine are nearly over, the EV will come and if busienesses don't adapt they'll die, and there is nothing that anyone can do against it now, it's too late and boy am I glad.

@bmw803 5 жыл бұрын

We could argue the same when guys shoe'ing horses and fixing buggies would lose their jobs once cars came out. Yes, their jobs were obsolete, but replaced by mechanics. This is just another stupidity of protectionism of a few while the pic picture stagnates.

@michaelanderson8464 6 жыл бұрын

Not street legal why bully boy's

@lonasimpresasmonterrey7599 7 жыл бұрын

Supporting to TESLA MOTORS(Elon Musk)

@amiga5008 5 жыл бұрын

Not really a survivor,no drivetrain

@leneanderthalien 5 жыл бұрын

as still a drive train, but with a modern adapted controler and new lithium ion batteries: all the EV 1 give to universities was delivered uncomplete, deliberately...but with some knownledge was possible to repair ...