I want to buy an EV1 electric car. There are still some around aren't they? If you have any info let me know.

Question

Anyone?

Answer 1

Sadly, there are none remaining in functioning condition. GM only leased them and never sold them. WHen the leases all expired GM pulled them back and withdrew them from availability. The vast majority of them were crushed with a few that were gutted or significantly disabled and handed over to museums or universities. You can see a few of them on YouTube. For those few organizations that received the donated shells, they had to sign an agreement that they not restore and drive them on the road. At least one university was chastized by GM either directly or indirectly for adding enough components to make the one in their possesion drivable and then showing it rolling down the road.

The rest is mostly my guess, but....

I was never clear on whether GM stated their reasons for such a strong stance on destroying and erasing the EV1 from the market. If I had to guess, I would have to believe that GM felt that the technology wasn't ready. The batteries could not provide range acceptable for most consumers and I think that GM may have been concerned about the warranty cost of supporting repair/replacement of batteries under such punishing conditions. (Not to mention the backlash from the consumer for a vehicle with the potential for such a high percentage of failures.) For example, an electric car would deep discharge the battery in order to have a reasonable range between charges. The problem with deep discharging batteries, this is a battery killer for most battery types. So the push for increased range is contradictory with the need for dependability in the vehicles components.

I personally would also love to have an EV1. I wouldn't want to lease one though and I wouldn't want the battery pack to fail after only a short period of time (a year or two or three). Still, you might want to google on Subaru's or Mitusubishi's proposed electric vehicles. They aren't available yet, but I am watching the news about these companies plans to market EV's.

Also note that with the hype about hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, they really are basically an electric vehicle that uses a different source of energy than a battery. The core of the vehicle and drive train can be largely the same for a battery driven EV vs. a fuel cell driven vehicle. The biggest difference is in where the electric current comes from. In fact some fuel cell vehicles may end up being a blend of both for performance reasons. In the coming years we will find out which technologies might begin to compete with internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Personally, I would prefer an EV that can be charged quickly on the road or at home rather than having to fuel the vehicle at a station. I would also prefer to not carry a potentially explosive material, but I guess I'm used to carrying gasoline so that isn't a new danger.

Timothy D.

West Melbourne, FL

Answer 2

Unfortunately, no. Because the EV1 was somewhat experimental, GM never actually sold any of them. Thy just leased them, because they weren't sure what would happen when they started to get old and break down. In 2003 when the last lease contracts expired, GM reclaimed all of the EV1s and either destroyed or permanently disabled them.

Answer 3

Aside from Dana's links, you can also try www.grassrootsev.com

www.teslamotors.com (this one's the best, but costly)

or search for other little groups that do conversions of old cars to run on electric.

Answer 4

No, because they were all leased GM took them back and crushed most of the EV1s.  There are a few in museums and such, but none on the road anymore.  You can learn all about this in the film 'Who Killed the Electric Car?'.  It's quite good.

However, several similar electric vehicles will be available in the near future.

Available in California in October 2008, the Aptera typ-1e will cost about $27,000 with a top speed of 95 mph and range of 120 miles per charge.

http://www.aptera.com/details.php

Soon thereafter Aptera will introduce the typ-1h, a plug-in hybrid version of the typ-1e with a 40-60 mile range on purely electrical energy, and a range of over 600 miles total when in electric/gas hybrid mode, for around $30,000.  On a 120 mile trip, the typ-1h will get 300 miles per gallon.  The shorter the trip, the higher the efficiency.

http://www.aptera.com/details.php

Available in late 2009, the ZAP Alias will cost $30,000, have a top speed of 100 mph, and a range of 100 miles per charge.

http://zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/el...

Soon thereafter the ZAP-X will be available at a cost of $60,000 with a top speed of 155 mph and a range of 350 miles per charge.

http://zapworld.com/electric-vehicles/el...

Available in 2009, the Miles Javlon will cost $30,000 with a top speed of 80 mph and a range of 120 miles per charge.

http://www.milesev.com/index.asp#hsv.swf

Phoenix Motorcars will start selling their SUT to individuals in late 2008 or early 2009.  It will cost $45,000 and have a top speed of 100 mph with a range of 100+ miles per charge.

http://phoenixmotorcars.com/

Answer 5

Nope, all gone, and you wouldn't want one any way.  They were expensive, had poor performance and costly to maintain.  They only existed because the California government mandated their existence.  They were a losing proposition for all concerned so once the mandate ended, they were crushed and melted.