EV1, was it a battery issue ? wktec

[emforty2]

GM touted the EV-1 and at the end critisized no demand, no range, expensive batteries etc etc.

they way it is right now why don't GM critisize the corvette and hummer as NO DEMAND EXPENSIVE POOR SALES NO PROFIT so lets all crush em?

[susumu07]

The simple fact that the batteries were built into the internal frame made them nearly impossible to remove and replace or upgrade. Access was difficult plain and simple.

[klovesm316]

susumu is obviously protective of gm for some reason.

[susumu07]

LOL it's obvious that this is not the case.

I wouldn't trust GM with even one dime, let along the 18 billion dollars of taxpayer money they received to produce a cramped "mickey mouse" car that resembled a toy more than a sensible motor vehicle that the average person can actually depend on.

Of course GM WANTED to kill the electric car - they were making a killing selling their gas guzzlers and didn't want to spend $ on R&D. So they made a BS version and set up Ramirez, then pulled the plug!

[m1aws]

@susumu07 Tell us how many EV1's caught fire please.

As goes servicing. How many needed their batteries removing.

When I look into my car to replace its many service consumables I go OMFG! every time. Gas cars are an expensive, dirty mess!

There's a video out here with the guy who serviced EV1's. He said it was the best time of his life. He plugged in a PDA to check the batteries, Pumped up the tyres and checked oils and liquids. That was it, He went home with clean hands.

[susumu07]

@m1aws

For the info go to amectran (dot) com.

The fact is, GM didn't design the EV-1 to become a success. Very cramped, faulty wiring, very bad layout for maintenance. Fact is, if you built the batteries into the frame, you're first of all weakening the frame, and second, you've put the whole car at risk in case of a short. And the thing was so cramped you could barely seat two people.

Compare that oversized toy to the EXAR-1 and you'll understand. And yes, I agree gas cars suck too.

[m1aws]

@susumu07 The EV1 did not have a true chassis. The car itself was a monocoque!

It was shaped to have a class beating CDa. And was designed for a specific purpose. GM WANTED IT TO FAIL!

Everyone who used it, loved that car to bits. The guy who serviced them said they were too reliable and required barely any consumables.

You gave me a site to a car that looks like its straight out of the 70's (yukky!) with wholly vacuous, factless statements from end to end :( tut's!

Better EV's abound.

[susumu07]

The fire hazard was due to faulty wiring, not the batteries themselves. GM really skimped out on this car. It was tiny, slow, and cramped compared to the EXAR-1. And the wires (hidden inside) were often frayed. The WORST part is that the EV-1 batteries were embedded into a T-shaped frame that formed the core of the chassis, and part of the battery frame ran right between driver and passenger. BIG risk of fire breaking out between them in case of a short-circuit or accident.

[fixitsan]

A friend of mine built a programming interface which was used to resurect one of the 'disabled' EV-1's recently, and according to him they weren't too poorly made.

Building the batteries into the middle of the chassis is the optimum solution in terms of weight distribution. I believe at least one car manufacturer is about to release an EV with batteries built into the whole floor of the vehicle, for the same sound reasons. I'm sure the wiring will be up to standard.

[susumu07]

EV-1 use shitty batteries. And they built them into the frame so they CAN'T be replaced or upgraded! They're in between driver and passenger, and present a major FIRE HAZARD! GM wasted $8 billion on an $8,000 conversion car. They stole taxpayer money and

The real Electric car, the EXAR-1, had much better batteries that ran 200 miles. The oil companies couldn't buy out the inventor, so they paid off corrupt judges to indict him for "fraud". He was never convicted of ANYTHING.

[keeky101]

I don't think that you can say that lead acid batteries present a fire hazard, any more than yoiu can say that a shorted terminal on any battery type could cause a fire. The lead acid chemistry itself isn't a hazard

[klovesm316]

cars use lead acid batteries normally anyways! so wheres the fire hazard??!!!

[ibpointless2]

If it makes dollars it makes sense"cents"

[AngelusofDeus]

And then they just crused them all. WTF!!!

[fletcho11]

lol , omg NIM meh batteries last longer than a car , Bull , they last longer than nic cad batts ,they are still junk . lith polm are the way to go, butt we saw the lab tops that melted ,

omg , guess what , if i own a buss i'm in it to make money , not to have the state of ca, to tell me how or what I can make if I want to

take part in a FREE MARKET ECONEMOY...

[keeky101]

Bear in mind you are commenting on a film about a car which was made over twelve years ago. I don't know how old you are, but you couldn't buy lithium polymer batteries then. It wasn't possible to use anything else but NiMH

[mxjf]

i like

"NIM meh" batteries....i like NiMh too.

[alyr315]

also by today, batteries would have been far more advanced that they were in mid 90z. if we look around , technology is moving forward so fast is such a short time. oil companies killed the electric car by buying out GM and the CARB. fucking liying scumbags.

[bd189]

plus with how the nimh batteries are now with the aa model i haven't bought new batteries for my cd player, remotes tv/dvd i haven't bought new batteries for 4 years.

[bd189]

oops i double talked

[theoneagain]

god damn all the oil companies sick and tired of going down the gas station to hell with gasoline cars long live the electron....

[liveoilfree]

GM is just a LIAR.

Doug Korthof, EV1 driver

[fixitsan]

Hi Doug,

I get their business position, I understand the economics of their market, but I have to agree with you and say they could have done much more. Crushing the cars will always leave grey cloud over them as far as I am concerned

I wonder how much the existence of the EV-1 has had to do with Isreal's decision to introduce an electric car network ?

Stan Ovshinsky for president ? I think so !

[redSKORPION50]

Doug, im sure you probably get this alot mate, but ive only just learned of this car 4 days ago, and id love to get the chance to talk to someone that has driven an EV1 and get some first hand words from someone like you that has been there and had the chance drive one and DOES KNOW what they were like. Here in Australia we have nothing like that, and i reckon it would be perfectly suitable for alot of drivers here. ;)