Hanks GM EV1, saving the world Dave

Tom Hanks talking about his GM EV1, lucky dog, on Latenight with David Leterman. http://www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com/ http://www.seattleeva.org/wiki/GM_EV1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Motors_EV1

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• GM
• EV1
• EV
• BEV
• ZEV
• battery
• electric
• vehicles
• car
• automobiles
• hybrid
• energy
• peak
• oil
• gas
• hummer
• Conspiracy
• Fuel
• Cell

[capcom4eva]

If GM killed the electric car, how come we now have the GM Chevy Volt with a 50 mi range or the fully electric Nissan Leaf with the same 100 mi. range as the EV1?

[D0li0]

@capcom4eva Perhaps because people began realizing they wanted such a product as the Volt and Leaf. I guess the market finally caved into the demand for such vehicles. It only took what 12+ years to get from the EV1 to the Volt & Leaf....

[jmshaw357]

Tom Hanks is a well-meaning boob who knows nothing about cars but has so much money he can afford to dabble in these matters--what does he care that his cars cost hundreds of thousands of dollars but have no A/C or stereo?

One-liner quips will not solve enormous problem like transportation/personal freedom issues. No one in America will buy and use a car with a 70-mile useful range. Hank's car can only go 30 miles without refreshing the battery to make enough power to go 50mph.

[D0li0]

If you are implying that Electric Vehicles do not have Air Conditioning, no more than 30 miles of range, and are incapable of exceeding 70mph then you are sadly mistaken. Modern EV's have all of the amenities as a normal car such as AC and Heat. They can achieve 100 miles or range easily with 200 and 300 miles not uncommon and they can be recharged very quickly if needed. As per power, electric motors are unsurpassed in the torque they can produce, ie: diesel electric freight trains.

[LER77]

Update us on this conversion company.

[D0li0]

I believe that he was talking about working with ACP on the eBox, or perhaps he was talking about Tesla Motors.  I'm not sure which but I think it was one of those two...

[goma3]

Your knowledge of electric vehicles is minute, to say the least. EV's, even in the 90's, were already more efficient than gas cars and got more than 100 miles per charge, top speed 95mph. GM just didn't made any money because the bat pack was too expensive. Fast foward 15 yrs and batteries are now cheaper and much better (courtesy of the cellphone revolution and laptop research) so electrics are just way better than gas cars. Even in the 90's EVs were doomed because of oil lobby.

[munzerelli]

ha ha ha foolio... Honda, Ford, General Motors.. It's all the same... It's not about hating America.. It's all about rich people making rich people richer.. Long and short...

[KBendix]

@D0li0 Lets not forget that 1st electric "cars" was made in mid 1800s.

Porsche made his in-wheel motor EV in 1900. more than 100 years and almost nothing is done? Technology is not ready? Huh... we went to moon and made micro processors with millions of transistors... I guess technology was ready a long time ago.

[1greenMitsi]

@capcom4eva I think you missed the point...GM killed the electric car at the time...obviously now the technology is inevitably made a comeback. Battery technology however has not advanced as the battery technology from the EV-1 was bought out by Texaco-Chevron and shelved

[TheHaas1987]

I personally blame Oil companies and corrupt politicians for the delay....they are greedy BASTARDS!

[TheChargingPoint]

Of course, Hanks was talking about his Toyota RAV4 EV here, not the GM EV1. Great vid, though - thanks for sharing.

[SeaDogLife]

"Who Killed The Electric Car" is a great movie which tells more info about GM killing the EV1 and buying out a electric battery producer company to only have it removed from the spot light in order to make more profit with oil and parts gas cars need. We have the technology and we are all getting ripped off by the Government which is OWNED by the oil companies! It is time for American’s to force politicians to get required education in order to be eligible for office.

[Maxaxle]

Generally, companies care only for profit. Helping reduce pollution? It's great PR. Setting up a foundation for [whatever]? PR. Making electric cars? PR and proof-of-concept.

[TheReasonWhyGuy]

@capcom4eva to think a company is an unchanging entity, is ignorant ;P

Back in the day, someone at GM wanted the company to be the first in the EV market.

Then some other people realized that they wouldn't make as much money with that as they would selling the hummer.

Now modern GM realizes that they can suck money out of another market, however they are failing at it.

The leaf is picking up in sale ahead of the volt. I for one am getting a leaf ;D

[OfficialCallahTV]

WWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOODDDDDDDD­DDDYYYYYYYYYYY

[heartlessvietboy]

The only problem is that our Government is Milking their Time so they can cash-in off Oil Stocks.

[88beauzeau88]

@heartlessvietboy Oh! Well if there are videos showing it, it MUST be true!