EV1 was success, GM lies about it

EV1 was a big success, not a failure! GM lies, claiming that it was the range that caused people not to buy it; but it was never offered for sale, and no one complained about the range!

It's an illusion to think that because you sometimes might want to go 1000 miles, that your car has to be able to do that on any day. Instead of touring the USA in a car, use your RV!

We've driven 600,000 miles in EVs since 1997, that's a lot of driving; and the point is, you don't do it in long-distance driving.

The fact that not everyone wants an EV should not be the reason to stop EVERYONE from buying one!

All we ask is to make them available on the free market at a fair price.

But GM continues to mischaracterize the EV1 as not being the success that it was, and continues to pretend that there were not millions of EV miles driven -- and still being driven!

The VOLT is a HOAX.

If GM were serious, it would first admit that past Electric cars, such as the EV1, RAV4-EV and HondaEV, were successful and worked well, were beloved by their drivers, and didn't have any problem with "RANGE" or "RECHARGE".

In fact, there were no problems with the EV1 or any other Electric car except the fact that the Alliance of Auto Makers (AAM) members were unwilling to sell them to willing buyers. Unique to auto sales, the AAM just would not let go of EVs, insisting on keeping their mitts into the panties of EV buyers, controlling the EV, keeping it and refusing to alienate it by selling it.

If GM were honest, it would admit that the EV1 didn't have a range problem, wasn't turned in because it took too long to charge, and there weren't drivers sitting on tenterhooks afraid of running out of juice. All those "reasons" were just plain false, and, if repeated by GM, just plain lies.

Secondly, IF GM were serious and the VOLT were not a HOAX, GM would look to past experience: instead of waiting for the perfect battery, past SUCCESSFUL EVs were started with the batteries that existed, and later upgraded to better batteries.

GM carefully defines the VOLT as a 40-mile-range Electric car with a range-extending genset, what Alan Cocconi used to call a "Long Ranger" which he had mounted in a trailer for hooking onto the T-zero (successor to the EV1) for long trips. This trailer was so sophisticated, it just plugged into the EV and had automatic backing software built into the system.

GM supposedly can't produce a 40-mile-range Electric car without using $20,000 Lithium batteries that don't yet exist.

RAV4-EV and HondaEV: the first versions had lead-acid batteries, later upgraded to NiMH.

S10E: This Chevy electric truck first came out using lead, then was upgraded to NiMH.

RangerEV: Ford's electric pickup came out using lead, then upgraded to NiMH.

If the VOLT were not a HOAX, GM would issue it with LEAD batteries, which is all you need for 100 miles all-electric range, and which are very cheap (as proven by the 1997 and 1999 lead-version EV1, which got over 100 miles range on the PSB EV-EC 1260 lead-acid battery).

But the VOLT, is a HOAX, for these exact reasons. GM is supposedly waiting for a battery that does not exist; they are just delaying until the price of gas comes down.

Now let's see if 8 kWh of golf-cart batteries would run the VOLT for 15-miles of all-electric range. These batteries RETAIL for $1600 for the entire 8 kWh, and last over 50,000 miles. They recycle. Each kWh yields 3 to 6 miles, so if you only use half of the 8 kWh, you have at least 12 and possibly 24 all-electric miles; if you use all, you have over 20 to perhaps 40 miles all-electric range.

Now let's look at the weight; the 20 to 40-mile range lead pack weighs 480 lbs (60 lbs. per battery, with racks); the supposed VOLT $20,000 16 kWh Lithium battery (8 kWh useable) weighs (in GM's imagination) over 400 lbs. and doesn't yet exist.

So with the same weight, low cost, and the imperative of getting them on the road, you can see why successful EV makers in the past started with cheap lead batteries as proof-of-concept and to run them (some S10E and RangerEV are still using lead-acid to this day).

Hence, GM is not serious, or is ignorant, or arrogantly denies the facts and the truth.

Thus, the VOLT...is a HOAX.GM is postponing producing a plug-in car until 2011 or later; but it doesn't have a battery that's proven to work.

The Extended Range Electric Vehicle (EREV) like the VOLT, a serial hybrid, only needs a 40 mile range.

If GM were no on a hoax, it would, like all successful EVs, sell it with lead-acid batteries first, and then later upgrade to Nickel or Lithium.

But the evidence is that GM is just waiting, hoping for the price of gas to come down and the whole Electric car thing will be dropped.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• EV1
• success
• GM-failure
• Lutz
• liar

[liveoilfree]

The fact that the EV1 would not suit EVERYONE is no justification for stopping ANYONE from buying one. After all, the Corvette, Miata, etc., are all specialized vehicles; not everyone wants a Viper, Bob Lutz's behemoth.

[woppini]

Typical GM arrogance. Too bad they never changed, until a bail out with OUR money. Iam a mechanic, and wont buy a GM. Period.

[Trommylee]

from the looks of some of the comments i read on these posts, it looks as if GM has a whole lot of people fooled. there's no good reason to be putzing around making EV's that get 40-50 mile range when 13 years ago, there were plenty EV's with range in excess of 100 miles. if i could afford an EV that got the same range as the original EV1, i'd be more than happy with it. thanks Doug, for being relentless in educating people about this. no more bailout $ for GM!!

[Daniel55556]

@woppini GM is a bunch of CEO's dude, at least Ford is managed by a family which actually has a clue and is willing to fix somthing not make it worse like GM. Look up how Henry Ford made a assembly line used today, look up how he gave his employees raises and brought the cost of the car down and people thought he was insane till he made more money. And GM shouldn't of been bailed out and I'm not a big president blamer but I blame it on the Bush administration.

[rickcain2320]

@deedundone

GM has an interest in making you believe you still need gasoline.

[rickcain2320]

@Holymancorapi

Actually, the EV-1 was just being refitted with more modern Ni-Mh battery packs when GM killed the production. The packs doubled the range and the original Delco lead-acid batteries were defective anyway.

You could imagine the EV-1 with lithium cells!

[rickcain2320]

Whats funny is in Oklahoma they were selling glorified golf carts as EV's. They were constantly sold out!

The reason is because in many communities, people realized that much of their drving was very short distances, and in smaller towns, an EV even if it was a golf cart was perfect for tooling around town.

The small EV's were so successful that the legislature backed by oil companies had pulled the subsidy in hopes of killing off these EV sellers.

[jason1973tl]

I have found that some people are anti EV. I cannot change their mind or talk sense into them. They seem to want to remain ignorant and claim the rest of us are idiots. It is very irritating.

[PhotographerMN]

Here in Minnesota, its easy to say many people have cabins. We need range! I know Coloradans need range also for getting to there Ski Resorts. I WANT AN EV WITH A 400mile RANGE!!

[deedundone]

@deedundone One day i plan to take my favorite car, The Dodge Shadow, and fully convert one, after a complete renovation, to all electric. Although I am not sure about laws or rules of converting to electric, and given that most Dodge Shadows have themselves, been crushed, it ought to be a daunting task. Anyone know the specifications or ramifications about converting to all electric on normal gas guzzling behemoths?

[deedundone]

a volt that gets 40 miles then uses gas. what a joke. the only reason i followed that story as long AS i did because i thought GM had understood that they had once been the front runners of an entire movement. now i realzize they are a shitty company, even worse than chysler because of what they did to the ev1.......i will never buy a GM. they are a joke. Yes I do need an EV with at least a range of 200 miles but that is only because I am not the average american - college commuting ect.

[deedundone]

@woppini me either. any other company but! GM.

[idontcare80]

@bg1379 I don't know ANYONE who drives 160 miles a day. Most people I know drive 20 to 40 miles a day AT THE MOST. The two or three people I know who drive a pretty good long way, everyday, drive about 60-80 miles a day and they live quite a good distance out of the city.