ELECTRIC CARS

General Motors EV1, the ugliest electric car ever

In the mid-90s, in California, the fight against polluting emissions and the related energy transition had given a small anticipation of what we live today. A first "taste" of car electrification.

Between 1996 and 1999, General Motors produced about 1,100 units of the EV1, a zero-emission sedan that wanted to explore the world of sustainable mobility seven years before the arrival of Tesla.

But the project, although very ambitious, did not continue. The car, produced in 1,171 units, was also quite successful. Especially among wealthy Californians, who saw her as a status symbol. But the design of that car was really strange. A truly horrendous aesthetic.

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The first electric car by General Motors
The GM EV1 was an electric car produced by the American company General Motors from 1996 to 1999. It has become a phenomenon of costume for its aesthetic and aerodynamic choice, it is also considered among the ugliest cars ever made on the market. Although its futuristic design then became a status symbol.
Foto GM
The first electric car guaranteed decent autonomy
General Motors produced the GM EV1 for 4 years, in two generations. The first was powered by lead-acid batteries, stacked under the rear and central tunnel, for a total of 26 accumulators, which guaranteed a range between 110 and 160 km on a single charge. The second introduced nickel-metal hydride batteries, resulting in an improvement in range, which has passed to 160-225 km, on a par with today's average ranges.
Foto GM
The GM EV1 had a futuristic design
The design was certainly typical of an electric car. But it was surprising because it looked like something out of a science fiction movie. With the rear wheels covered, it looked like a carrycot.
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State-of-the-art technology for the GM EV1
The GM EV1 to have been produced in the mid-90s was already equipped with interesting technologies for the time. For example there was the electronic key (keyless). In addition, it had an all-digital, LED instrument cluster, once again the first car in history. The picture was ahead, near the windshield, with layout very futuristic minimum, and with several buttons for controlling functionality.
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An almost foregone end for the GM EV1
General Motors decided to stop production after only 4 years, even destroying the specimens in circulation. In total, 1,117 units were produced, and the lack of commercial success was due to high maintenance and charging infrastructure costs, which were not sustainable at the time. But perhaps also to the really unwatchable aesthetics of that too futuristic car.
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