EV1 Charge Across America in an electric car - May 12 - June 2, 1998
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- Опубликовано: 11 май 2018
- On May 12, 1998 I embarked on the adventure of a lifetime…a 3,200 mile trip across America in my futuristic General Motors EV1 electric car. I love long road trips, and dreamed up the idea to prove that electric cars are practical and not just sluggish golf carts which many people assumed. The EV1 was fast…really fast! And had comforts such as air conditioning and power windows and a great sound system. Battery technology wasn’t as evolved then as it is now. The EV1 could drive between 40-70 miles per charge depending on terrain and driving style.
This video is a compilation of TV news stories from my “Charge Across America” May 12-June 2, 1998.
In the 1990’s the EV1 was the only production electric car available to the public. Only 1,000 were produced, and the experimental EV1 was only available for lease, not purchase in California, Arizona, and Oregon. I signed the lease contract for my EV1 on December 5, 1996 and drove it happily until June 25, 2003 when my lease ended and GM took the car back.
Weeks before the trip I meticulously planned every charging stop on my 3,200 mile trip from Los Angeles to the factory where it was built near Detroit. I never once ran out of battery power and the car performed flawlessly. At first General Motors was concerned my trip would fail and bring bad PR to the EV1 program. But as the trip successfully evolved without problems, GM’s initial worries were replaced with enthusiastic support. Their amazing electric car was making front page news as I drove across the country.
In 1998 there were very few internet bloggers, but I was one of them. I chronicled the trip on my website with daily updates and photos from the road. As my trip neared the end, GM invited me to drive the car to a finish line media event at GM headquarters in Detroit. The company graciously offered to ship my EV1 back to Los Angeles and paid for my plane ticket home.
Initial customer interest was strong from early adopters and environmentally conscious folks like me, and the first batch of EV1's from the factory leased quickly. But sales waned and GM was clueless as to how to market a 2 seat electric car that only had 60 miles of driving range on each battery charge. Sadly, a year or so after my trip, GM gave up on electric cars and shut down the EV1 program. When the lease contracts ended, EV1s were taken back from “owners” who loved their cars and desperately wanted to re-lease them. Sadly, most EV1s were sent to the crusher. Because of the historic nature of my Charge Across America trip, GM saved my EV1 and it’s on permanent display at the prestigious Petersen Automotive museum in Los Angeles.
The Oscar-nominated documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car" tells the story of GM's early enthusiasm, then the dark side of the EV1's demise.
The advanced technology developed for the EV1 lives on in virtually every electric car on the road today. GM is back on board with electric cars, and sells the fantastic and successful Volt and Bolt electric cars. I’m glad my crystal ball proved to be correct…electric cars are the future, and the EV1 started the revolution.
The blog of my trip is available on my website: www.kingoftheroad.net/charge_a... 
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This is seriously the coolest video. I wish I could have driven one. Have only ever sat in one.
Thanks! I was lucky to drive this sweet ride for 6 wonderful years. Never a problem!
Kris, this is real good stuff!
Back in 1997 I visited GM engineering team in Warren, while I was student I had the privilege to drive one of this treseasurs, I literally felt like driving a batmobile, The GM - Saturn marketing video seen on that day showed an EV-1 competing against a NISSAN ZX 300 leaving it back by many feet in a 0- 60 mph test. Today I own another Zero emssions car, I can tell you EV-1 was a machine very ahead of its time.
How quickly things have advanced... earlier this year we drove from Washington DC to Bellingham WA in 2 1/2 days in our Model 3. If GM had let people buy their EV1s I'm sure I'd have one in my driveway now as a toy / fun car.
I'm sure GM regretted terminating the EV1. Karma came back to haunt them.
@@drsmetal2747 They actually did - In an interview, Rick Wagoner stated that the worst decision of his tenure at GM was axing the EV1 electric car program.
Funny how I get recommended your channel through the Eisenhower color videotape footage and discover you had an EV1. What an underappreciated car. We need something as aerodynamic again with modern battery tech
Thanks so much for sharing this Kris. We loved our EV1s (Lead acid Gen I and Nickel Metal Hydride Gen II; both red like yours). We've been driving a Toyota RAV4 EV since we returned the leased Gen II around 2001. We're buying a Tesla Model 3 hopefully this year.
EV1 was literally 30 years ahead of its time. Model 3 is about as near as anyone has gotten to EV1, and EV1 still had a better drag coefficient. EV1's excellence and the outstanding work by its engineers is what makes the shame of destroying them so much worse. Had it been even near to average, few would have cared as much.
Had GM continued developing EVs instead of crushing them, they could have owned the EV and hybrid market for decades.
GM still hasn't learned much. They're taking billions of dollars in profits from trucks and SUVs and using them for stock buybacks instead of investing in battery factories. As Tesla has shown, billions of dollars are needed for battery factories to drive down battery costs. Tesla sells its cars at a large gross profit (28% for Model S and X; 25% for Model 3 after the factory costs are fully amortized). GM loses money on every Bolt EV sold.
Loanword Eggcorn what a shame.
Excuse my ignorance but why did they destroy them
I saw a video of this at school a long time ago. And I thought wow if we could invest everything from gas into electric at that time to today it would green convenient and awesome but and cheaper than gas, overall just help the earth. But they decided to destroy it and I realized that companies want money and they will do anything to destroy the competition.
California rewrote the law in 2002. Instead of mandating 10% of cars be Zero Emission (ZEV) they changed it to 10% be hybrids (Partial ZEV). So all companies stopped making electric cars in 2002. There would not be another mass-produced EV until 2010 (the Nissan Leaf)
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It's maddening how much of a lead GM had... and then threw away.
Bro I live in Oklahoma and seeing Oklahoma in the 90’s is such a crazy thing to see
Been an EV advocate since 2010 and never saw this until now in March 2023, as a Tesla Model 3 owner this is absolutely MIND BLOWING 🤯 that this took place with a EV-1 I 1998! Negative people still think no one could drive any EV cross country nowadays, even knowing a Model S can do 400 miles and a Lucid Air can get 500 miles. Even at 60 miles in a used 2011 Leaf you can drive across the country.
So many positive reports , now any report on an EV is to make fun of them .
It is now 2019 and Tesla is mass producing a relativly affordable Modle 3. Tesla has its own worldwide supercharging network.
Death to GM!
15:45 holy glasses!!!
Kris, did you take down your daily diary from this trip on the web? Can't find it anymore. Back in 98 I logged in a read the updates every day!
Yes, it's still there but at a different URL. You will find it on my website. Glad you followed my trip in 1998, the adventure of a lifetime! www.kingoftheroad.net
@@Volterrific I'm seeing nothing at that link. ???
@@paulgraz09 I just checked the link...it works. Scroll down the page and you will see the EV1 blog
@@Volterrific Really strange - it works on my PC in firefox, not on my phone - but thanks!
I would not leave that charger unattended - another problem to consider in not only not so good areas?
I hope you realize there are no more operational EV1’s and related chargers since 2003 (19 years ago).
KOTV! T-town bitchezzz!!! 😁
Just think, a few years later GM needed OUR money.
Ditto Tesla..... that company has received billions in government handouts
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Drive 60 miles charge for a day probably only took 2 months
You're way off. I drove more than 60 miles per day. I started the trip May 12, 1998 and finished it June 2, 1998.
Wait until GM force him to give his car back so it gets destroyed for questionable reasons.
This very EV1 was saved and donated by GM to the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles where it is on permanent display.
@@Volterrific ok, this one was saved! Although GM made it non functional
@@HCkev correct, GM removed some drivetrain components before donating this EV1 to the museum. It looks as fresh as the day I took delivery on December 5, 1996.
Elon Musk is now the richest person in the world.
Kris, what a great adventure. I've always had an interest in electric cars and when "Who Killed the Electric Car" came out it generated even more interest. I'm so glad that today (2018) there are many options in EVs and that the major car manufactures are slowly but steadily getting on board. Last Sept. I purchased a Nissan LEAF and it has become my all-time favorite vehicle. My wife and I both love the car based on the same reasons you give in your statements in the videos above. Thanks for being one of the true early adopters and for sharing your compelling story.
Thanks for posting this Kris! Wow you were ahead of the curve, my friend Bradly and I hold the record for fastest time LA to NY in a Model S (Google freedom 5000 EV cannonball). I didn't know your car was the one on display at Peterson. I'm in the process of building an EV-1 replica right now. Let me know if you want to take it for a spin when it's done!
Jordan Hart wow that’s quite a challenge to build an EV1 replica. Did you start with any original EV1 components or from scratch? If you live in SoCal I’d love to see your creation and go for a ride! I’ve been driving electric cars ever since my EV1, but none compare to the joy of driving that sweet peppy gem...IMHO GM’s finest accomplishment.
@@Volterrific I'm converting a 1998 Saturn SC2... So far I have an EV1 motor, owners manual, radio, and body transformation is the first step. Then powertrain will be done by Moment Motors. And I agree the EV1 is the best thing they ever did, second best was the Volt which was my gateway drug to electric cars. I'm in Ohio but maybe when I do reveal video I can cover your ticket out ;)
@@jordanhart9441 very generous, thanks! Do you have the EV1 factory shop manual? That's great you have an EV1 motor...hopefully the sound will be the same as the EV1. I loved the whir!
@@Volterrific I've seen the shop manual for sale on eBay but haven't purchased since my car will be so different than the original. The difficulty in using the EV1 motor will be not having the transaxle. If we can't get it to power the car, at least I'll have it in the car in a glass box or something ...
@@jordanhart9441 good luck with your project
awesome. the EV1 is a car i wish i got to drive. im a ICE guy but appreciate EV's and own one a "EV2" or Spark EV. at least yours ended up in the petersen and not ground up for scrap.... they should have just let everyone who wanted to buy it out at the end of the lease, they would have gone for many years, even without manufacture support.
The Spatk is a joke. Get real and get a Tesla
Yet more rudeness! Tesla Cultists lack basic manners. They are the rudest group of fanboys I’ve ever seen
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they should have leased them forever IMO. If GM sold them then Legally they would have to manufacture the parts for 15 years which due to the low sales volume they werent willing to do. But if they just leased them until they died then I would say thats fair, the owners would get their electric cars and GM would recoup the high cost per car along with not having to keep up with part production
7:57 And by 2019 there'll be both the Rivan and Tesla pickups which means if that cowboy still has his ranch he can drive from his ranch into town. Though at $70,000 to $85,000 it might be still to expensive but the ever present cliche battery prices are SUPPOSED to fall don't let what Nissan did do their replacement batterie prices discourage you.
Tesla truck to be 49k...dont spread lies
Rude much? The other poster was not deliberately lying about the Model Y’s cost. Considering the S and X cost 70,000 minimum it was reasonable to think the Y would be in the same range
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@@anthonybha4510 The tesla truck is a troll. No one would buy anything that god damned ugly. Its also way too pointy and would def fail crash safety tests
Eh back in 98 it was difficult to find a recharging spot but 20 years later while electric cars are still expensive ,considering by 1920 Henry Ford had made the low priced about, $2,300 in today's money ,ICE powered Model T for 10 years before, there are charging and supercharging stations poping up in parts of the country. And consider in the 50s ICE powered cars got about 8 to 10 mpg
And when Horatio Jackson his mechanic Sewell Crocker and their pitbull Bud made their cross country trip from San Franciso to N.Y.C back in 1903 fuel was hard to come by and the car Jackson drove was also expensive
EV2?