We hope you enjoy this episode! Fully Charged LIVE returns to Austin Texas in April 2021 and 'golden tickets' are now available via fullycharged.show/events/fully-charged-live-north-america/ We will try to get the EV1 back, but there will be more than 100 Electric Vehicles of all shapes and sizes on display, plus an array of Clean Energy companies too.
I already bought my tickets for Fully Charged live in Austin, Texas for 2021. I have watched "Who Killed the Electric Car", "Revenge of the Electric Car", and "Electrified - The Current State of Electric Vehicles". The last documentary "Electrified" is an Amazon prime documentary. I was lucky enough to see the EV1 at Fully Charged live in Austin, Texas back in February 2020.
I am a patron, for 10 euro plus 23% VAT per month, but i can not get access to patron only content. Patreon software sucks. I mailed Patreon about it, but get no response...except that they are busy...then they ask if i still need help...and when i say yes, i get a identical mail asking if i still need help. Infuriating. I have changed the email address, but in the reply-email of patreon, there is no verification link. So nothing changed. Meanwhile i get billed every month and i get no access to patron-only content. is this because i was critical on the lack of attention Robert gives to ecocidal lithium mining?????
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We leased both generations of GM's EV1 and it was an incredibly advanced car. Literally 20 years ahead of it's time. EV1 is still slightly lower drag that all of the Teslas, including the Model 3. GM's destruction of the EV1 was the inspiration for the creation of Tesla. It was so advanced that Marc Tarpenning, Martin Eberhard, J. B. Straubel and Elon Musk were shocked that it was being crushed by GM. It inspired them by showing how good an EV could be, and they formed Tesla to make a Lithium Ion sporty car. Factual correction for Chelsea: EV1 did not have steer by wire or brake by wire. It had a conventional steering column with a direct drive electric power steering motor. It had a conventional hydraulic braking system with an electric brake booster pump. Both were the first use in a production car, but they were mechanical systems with electric assistance. This is both safer and offers better feel then non-mechanical drive by wire. It's safer because if the electrical amplification of mechanical effort fails, the mechanical systems still work. It has better feel because there is a direct mechanical connection to the road.
Chelsea really shines in this video. GM should never be forgiven for scrapping this car. And the fact they don't allow any functioning EV1s to exist now shows they havn't changed. Amazing how many car companies designed a great car and buried it.
Not just by scrapping it, they lobbied heavily to undermine a public good whose purpose was in reducing air pollution. Corporate/market dominance over democracy is almost a unique feature for the US today.
@@toyotaprius79 Let's not forget that GM undertook a large, comprehensive and ultimately successful campaign to rid America's cities of streetcars, trollies and other light rail.
But it's weird the bipolar nature of the company. They design a car that is almost perfect for the time. The whole idea of having a market of weight against efficiancy seems so ground breaking. Where does that come from? Is that the managers and engineers tasked with the project. Was the project just basically canned by higher management. I always feel conflicted in demonising a company when the there are visionaries in the company but the decisions are made by donkeys. But yes other wise f*ck GM 😀 Hopefully those visionaries are now working at Tesla
I can watch an hour-long video of nothing but Chelsea picking each EV-1 component and explaining the function and history of it. The little bit we got was very cool.
I was thinking the same. I watched “who killed” and “revenge” but it is great to focus in on the EV1. I think a proper long-form Fully Charged documentary would be great. Chels is so generous in her sharing our appreciation with the unseen others she worked with at the time. And she continues to be so enthusiastic about all/any EVs. Delightful episode, thanks for making it.
@@zapfanzapfan Oh, I did. It is always tactfully pointed out by the editors that my episodes inevitably start with an "abundance" of material for them to sift through. Oops. :)
I honestly can't imagine that they would have gotten far or would have made great strides in technology. What you need to achieve both of those things is a great vision and incredible motivation and dedication to see it through, akin to what really only Elon Musk exibits in this industry at the moment. But GM had neither. And even if they had, the state of the world and the politics around them would have stopped their ambitions sooner or later.
GM would have probably beaten Tesla. There would be a GM EV2 with improved Nimh batteries with an extra 25 to 50 miles of range while GM is cooking up a new lithium-ion battery production recipe with the first vehicle using that new-fangled 100 dollars per kWh lithium-ion battery being a Cadillac.
GM has a history of designing freaking awesome products and killing them immediately once they realized the products are unbelievably advanced. GMC motorhome of the 70s, still to this date unmatched. This EV1, incredible the technology it featured. Tells you about the quality of their management ...
That girl is a hero to people all over the world. And I'm writing this from the other side of the planet. Thank you, Chelsea and EV1 for being and inspiring us all!
Chelsea, I absolutely LOVE the authority with which you speak on this stuff, and you don't let things slide when the guys understate the importance of the EV1 (among other things). I'm so glad you're on this show.
Anyone else catch the fabric shrouded trailer for reduced weight and drag? There's the subtleties of being efficient! I actually went to this show and got to see the EV1 in person, I've known about the EV1 for about 12 years now and it's been a crazy journey. Also test drove that Audi E-tron and it's an absolute blast! I'm not fully electric, yet, but the future looks bright. Thanks Fully Charged!
Why has no-one retrofitted new battery packs to these? Was not being drive-able a contractual clause that GM had for the remaining EV-1s? Such a shame as it would be great to be able to demo a working model.
Yes, of the ones that were not crushed, all were intentionally disabled before being donated to museums and schools with the contractual obligation that they would never be retrofitted and be driveable again. The only intact one is at the Smithsonian Museum because of their policy of accepting only exhibits in their original condition.
@@EVPaddy yes it would be interesting to see how are they taking care of it. But I'm not sure if they're keeping it plugged. Most likely not, as they would eventually need to do some maintenance or repairs and there aren't many spare parts available...
The universities actually are allowed to rebuild them and otherwise use them as learning tools, and several have. This one is still in its original donated condition (so, missing batteries and some controllers), but it is also the best preserved one I've seen outside of a museum. I grok the attraction of hacking into them, but there are also much newer, cheaper cars on which to do so. Given how few EV1s are left, I'm happy for any that are preserved and allowed to remain publicly viewable (this one is to be transferred to a local OK museum soon).
Dan Sanger And it could have pushed EV development even further. Perhaps we could have seen range figures like what Tesla’s coming out with now 5 years ago, at least
Because GM is all about 2MPG SUVs and big block V8 "fun cars" instead of pushing technologies forward. Then again GM did help kill off things like streetcars and the like.
Imagine if they were smart and relaunched the ev1, exactly the same but with modern batteries, that would start a craze that would close in on tesla, the problem is that you need literally billions upon billions in investment losses before making a profit.
Imagine if GM kept improving the EV1 every year since it came out. We'd be on the EV21 by now and it would have a 400 mile range and charge in 15 minutes.
Oh wow, that's gonna be a good one! I remember as a 10 year old kid I was fascinated by this car, and didn't think an electric production car would ever become a reality. Thanks to GM to help pave the way for our EV-future!
Thanks to everyone involved with getting the EV1 down to Austin for Fully Charged Live 2020. It was a great experience to be able to see this piece of history first hand.
THIS is what a Chelsea Sexton Fully Charged TH-cam video should look like. Forget the client's sales pitch, give us the story behind it, warts and all.
Bobby, your facial expressions while doing the news were hilarious, I enjoy the way you do the news. Chelsea, you did a very nice job on telling the story of towing the EV-1 to Austin and your feelings of being involved with the car again, thank you for sharing that with us. And if you have been, thank you for making the videos. Cheers!
I particularly enjoyed this episode that marks the special place that this car holds in the modern history of the electric car. Thank you Chelsea Sexton and Fully Charged. I watched the documentary "Who Killed The Electric Car?", I can't even remember how long ago, with anger. GM certainly covered themselves first with glory then with shame. The shame remains.
Alex Wilson Pottery The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has a coast function - you just set regen to B0. I use it all the time - regen is great for stopping/slowing but coasting is even more efficient on slight downhills where you have no need to accelerate or brake.
Thank you so much👍😎I’ve been following the EV moment since 2012 when I saw who killed the electric car introduced to me by my oldest son I purchase A 2014 Nissan leaf and still driving it today with 65,000 miles great commuter car thanks again for all you do.
The EV-1 is the car that got me into EVs in the first place. It's what gave me the patience to save up for my Model 3. It took a newcomer automaker to get the ball rolling again.
Chelsea, your presentation was brilliant, the passion is so evident and thanks for sharing it. Probably some Accountant at GM said it wasn't going to be profitable and pulled the plug. It's good to know how far we could have been if they had stayed with it and how far we can go in the future.
I think GM had the technology far superior to anyone in that era but their skepticism drove them to end its production. Imagine the heights GM could have achieved with this car.
I actually once asked an engineering exec from the Volt program about this ~2010. He insisted that since new cars all now have timers on headlights, dome lights, and other accessories that are usually the source of drained 12v aux batteries, "there is no way to kill a 12v battery in a Volt." 2 weeks later, Bill Nye left the headlights on in the Volt they'd loaned him, killed the battery. :)
I didn’t know her background but now it brings a tear to my eye to see her come full circle with something so iconic. I’ll watch the movie now, even though I know how it ends, as we all do...
Awesome!!! Saw Chelsea many years ago when I watched the doco "Who Killed the Electric Car!", and now to see her as a presenter on the world's top EV show is fantastic plus to see the EV1, even if it was just on camera as being in Australia not easy to get to your shows be they in the UK, Europe or the US.
@@Markle2k Ha! :) It is 30 years since the concept car was introduced in 1990. First ones were leased to customers in 1996. Lots of testing, etc., in between.
GM also killed the Chevy Volt last year. To me, the Volt is an excellent car and truly the unsung hero of plugin hybrid EV car. GM certainly has excellent engineers. With over 100K miles and not a single problem and no appreciable battery degradation, I cannot understand why they would cancel such a great car. But then I am reminded that it is the same company that canceled the EV-1....
Thank you for bringing the car to Fully Charged Live. It was great seeing it again in person (saw one before in a museum). Back in 1996, I remember seeing it on the news and was so excited that one day I could buy one, an actual electric car. Unfortunately, as you all know, that never happened. However, I did eventually buy an electric car, in 2012, just 16 years after the EV1.
Not only have I seen "Who Killed the Electric Car?", but I purchased a digital copy of this documentary along with it's sequel "Revenge of the Electric Car". I feel these are two immensely important documentaries that people need to see atleast once. GM never seemed to care about this car at all and eagerly cowed to the oil companies to kill this car and even with their modern EV/Hybrid options, those are merely there for fuel economy compliance for their entire fleet of various models they make in order to give the illusion that they've changed their ways, when they are still putting shiny new wrappers on the same old stuff.
I remember one of these EV1's on display in Disney's Epcot back in '97. At the time I wasn't sure what to think of it. It seemed to impact my newley wed bride more than me at the time. I was still loving my '96 Trans-Am so I just wasn't ready. Things change and I've been driving EVs (Nisan LEAFs ) for 7 years now. The EV1 was the first introduction for me, though.
ehm the big battery always charges the small battery. how do you think it gets charged? she was referring to a button to connect the hv battery to the 12v battery if the car died. a relatively useless feature in modern times.
@@kingprone7846 Not always. My Ioniq charges the small battery automatically if the car is switched off for a longer time. This happened the first time after approx. 3 days. This is indicated by a blinking charging light which I can see from my house and there is a message in the car display when you start the first time afterwards. Many Prius drivers would love the button from EV1 because it's quite easy to drain the 12V battery just by leaving on a light.
@@gerbre1 ehm yes your inoiq does that and so does my Tesla every 3 days and every other EV. I dont get whats so special about it. you need the system in an EV otherwise the 12V will go flat.
“Coast down” - gosh that gave me a time jump. I learnt to drive in a Rover 14 which in the 1950’s had a freewheel mode you could turn on and off. Freewheel was scary when you took your foot off the accelerator approaching a stop. You expected the car to slow down but when nothing happened it felt like the car had speeded up. My Dad complained about the wear freewheel made on the brake pads - the complete inverse of todays Evs. Rover was not the only car with a freewheel, there was a SAAB, a 95 I think, which had this feature. A great feature Chelsey, nice balance betweenn chat and action and your great background knowledge and war stories made it. Many thanks.
I believe that SAABS (and Wartburgs) had a freewheel because they were originally powered by two-strokes that were lubricated in by oil in the fuel. Going down long hills using engine braking meant no lubrication and risked a worn or seized motor, hence the freewheel.
6:17 It's good that you had the car in a covered trailer, you never know what crazy people might be following you, hoping you're not taking the car to the crusher. ;)
2:16 Isn't that a guy from 30 Rock? What seems to be quite lacking is charging stations suitable for when pulling a trailer. If all the lots are empty you can park sideways like they did but that is not going to work in the long run.
2:28 The EV1, even ignoring its historical context, is extraordinarily beautiful. It's incredible what happens when the design studio and engineering are left alone to work together without unwanted input from executives and data gathered from people who walked into a focus group for a free lunch. 3:27 To our European friends; electrically defrosted front windshields are extremely uncommon in North America. I didn't even learn such a thing existed until I imported my 2003 Euro-spec Ford.
I test drove an EV1 at Saturn of Costa Mesa. Loved the car and how it drove. Didn't like what GM did. Need to install Lion batteries in that sweetheart.
The history of this car fascinates me. I first watched both movies in my hybrid electric automotive class. I then ended up reading the book about this car. Then went to two museums to see this car. This is a very unique and interesting car
So great to see you (Chelsea) again in this and it's incredible what GM could do when it actually wanted to. Aside from all the mediocre GM stuff of the same era, this and a few other vehicles that GM did at the time showed just how capable that company was when it wanted to be.
OMG! So many great features on the EV1! I love features like the coast down button, and the button that can recharge the 12 volt battery from the main drive battery.
I have a very specific question, in the case that someone bought a ev1, and wanted to put it back on the road driving and registered, what would be some of the challenges to making that happen? Asking for a friend.
I'd love to have this EV instead of the cars we have now. Just update it to modern specs, like motor, controller, battery, LED lights and dashboard. But the rest like the windshield, coast down button etc. would be awesome. And especially... that teardrop shape. The efficiency on this thing would be top notch.
This is such a wonderful video and is bitter sweet to me because looking back and even when the EV1 was on our roads it shows what the industry was capable of which makes there decision to destroy this car and end this program with all that they knew a crime against humanity. GM was ahead of it's time them and they could be a leader even today, but they continue to side with polluting our planet with planes they hope they never have to make happen. The EV1 will always be a painful reminder to them and us that we could have been enjoying cleaner transport for over the past 20 years!! Corona Virus best upside is the reduction of CO2 emissions, which are now the lowest they have been since WW2! It shows us that if we made clean air and water a priority, saving lives taken by air pollution, people affected by dementia, lung cancer etc, as seriously as we are this pandemic... which is much less in number currently to the fatalities of the diseases and illness caused by just air pollution not including deaths on roads and highways every year by "dumb cars" that spew toxins out of their tailpipes, how much better off WE can all be. This virus is a great time to find out how of an impact we have, what we need to have more of that is less harmful and when we get back to work, what industry and ways of doing things we NEVER go back to because we have better, cleaner more sensible ways to do things.
I loved the EV1, when I was 17 (1997) I kinda got to drive one in Disney World Orlando. They had one on dyno rollers at an exhibit. I actually wanted my first car to be electric but was disappointed.
Hi Chelsea from the UK, A really great video and sooo interesting! It's not hard to see how Elon would have been inspired by this car. For the year it was built, it is truly awe-inspiring. I wish I could have been there to experience it close up. Phil
I would love to have the opportunity to completely repower an original EV1 with a new motor of comparable to slightly greater power output, the same mass in new batteries and see how well an EV1 could do with state of the art components. I bet its range would be off the hook.
Man, I think the EV1 still looks amazing and I actually prefer its aerodynamic design over many of the newest electric cars. It’s such a shame that there aren’t many left. I think it would be so cool to install a modern electric drivetrain in one of these. It would also be nice if GM payed more respect to the EV1 by continuing the nameplate (EV2, EV3, EV4...) on future electric vehicles.
Damn - I didn't know the EV1 had a direct heating windshield defroster! Only the VW e-Golf has that at the moment. ALL EVs NEED THIS! The EV1 is the most efficient (production) EV because of the super low drag. Though the Lightyear One will give it a run for its money. And the Aptera, if they can get the revised version into production.
with a good heat pump you warm up the car these days so that not only your windshield is free of ice, but you also have a cosy, warm car to depart in. That is, if you have it hooked up to external power.
@@calinolteanu8079 Yes, the e-Golf has it - but the ID.3 does NOT. :-( I had heard they were working on a silver coating version (the e-Golf has tiny wires), but apparently it is eliminated for cost reasons.
@@Hans-gb4mv That still takes MUCH more energy. The direct heating defroster is virtually unnoticeable on the range, like the rear defroster, and the heated seats / steering wheel. If you must use the air heater, then yes, a heat pump is good.
Great to see an EV1 on FSC... GM did some amazing stuff with what was available - Lead acid and NIMH batteries weigh a lot and take up way too much space, but they proved the concept. If GM had remained committed to EV's from that time they would probably be the world leader today...
I had heard the trunk was designed to fit the large-ish medium sized magnacharger? Or gold clubs. Yes the list of innovations on the EV1 was rather impressive.
Two sets of golf clubs. And overall, it was simply meant to have a proper trunk. It did have a (huge by today's standards but large shoebox-sized in reality) 120v charger meant to be portable, but the full-sized Magnecharger was never intended for the trunk, and was delivered/installed separately, in advance of the car.
I live in the U.K.- I'd not heard of the EV1 before - I guess that shows how well the petro-chemical industry buried it! Very good looking car, perhaps 30 years ahead of its time, shame.
We hope you enjoy this episode! Fully Charged LIVE returns to Austin Texas in April 2021 and 'golden tickets' are now available via fullycharged.show/events/fully-charged-live-north-america/ We will try to get the EV1 back, but there will be more than 100 Electric Vehicles of all shapes and sizes on display, plus an array of Clean Energy companies too.
I already bought my tickets for Fully Charged live in Austin, Texas for 2021. I have watched "Who Killed the Electric Car", "Revenge of the Electric Car", and "Electrified - The Current State of Electric Vehicles". The last documentary "Electrified" is an Amazon prime documentary. I was lucky enough to see the EV1 at Fully Charged live in Austin, Texas back in February 2020.
I am a patron, for 10 euro plus 23% VAT per month, but i can not get access to patron only content. Patreon software sucks. I mailed Patreon about it, but get no response...except that they are busy...then they ask if i still need help...and when i say yes, i get a identical mail asking if i still need help.
Infuriating.
I have changed the email address, but in the reply-email of patreon, there is no verification link. So nothing changed.
Meanwhile i get billed every month and i get no access to patron-only content.
is this because i was critical on the lack of attention Robert gives to ecocidal lithium mining?????
@@gammaraygem I'd suggest cancelling your Patreon subscription. They and FSC may then contact you to determine why...
@@martinlacey5985 Thank you for the suggestion. Problem is, i am also patron of another channel, and that may be cancelled at the same time. (with them, I DO have access, to their discord channel.) Because Patreon bills me for both,(via paypal) as one.
Also, then i have zero handle left. At least i can get to my account, but it says i have no pledges, while i have two.
I sent screenshots of payments. I cant ask paypal to stop it. afaik, and even then, it would also stop pledges to the other channel.
We leased both generations of GM's EV1 and it was an incredibly advanced car. Literally 20 years ahead of it's time. EV1 is still slightly lower drag that all of the Teslas, including the Model 3.
GM's destruction of the EV1 was the inspiration for the creation of Tesla. It was so advanced that Marc Tarpenning, Martin Eberhard, J. B. Straubel and Elon Musk were shocked that it was being crushed by GM. It inspired them by showing how good an EV could be, and they formed Tesla to make a Lithium Ion sporty car.
Factual correction for Chelsea: EV1 did not have steer by wire or brake by wire. It had a conventional steering column with a direct drive electric power steering motor. It had a conventional hydraulic braking system with an electric brake booster pump. Both were the first use in a production car, but they were mechanical systems with electric assistance. This is both safer and offers better feel then non-mechanical drive by wire. It's safer because if the electrical amplification of mechanical effort fails, the mechanical systems still work. It has better feel because there is a direct mechanical connection to the road.
This video demonstrates that watching nearly anyone talk about anything they both 1. have passion for and 2. know a lot about, is rarely wasted time.
Chelsea really shines in this video.
GM should never be forgiven for scrapping this car. And the fact they don't allow any functioning EV1s to exist now shows they havn't changed. Amazing how many car companies designed a great car and buried it.
I'm reminded of Canada and the Avro Arrow.
Not just by scrapping it, they lobbied heavily to undermine a public good whose purpose was in reducing air pollution. Corporate/market dominance over democracy is almost a unique feature for the US today.
@@toyotaprius79 Let's not forget that GM undertook a large, comprehensive and ultimately successful campaign to rid America's cities of streetcars, trollies and other light rail.
GM are criminals.
But it's weird the bipolar nature of the company. They design a car that is almost perfect for the time. The whole idea of having a market of weight against efficiancy seems so ground breaking. Where does that come from? Is that the managers and engineers tasked with the project. Was the project just basically canned by higher management. I always feel conflicted in demonising a company when the there are visionaries in the company but the decisions are made by donkeys. But yes other wise f*ck GM 😀 Hopefully those visionaries are now working at Tesla
I can watch an hour-long video of nothing but Chelsea picking each EV-1 component and explaining the function and history of it. The little bit we got was very cool.
I was thinking the same. I watched “who killed” and “revenge” but it is great to focus in on the EV1. I think a proper long-form Fully Charged documentary would be great.
Chels is so generous in her sharing our appreciation with the unseen others she worked with at the time. And she continues to be so enthusiastic about all/any EVs.
Delightful episode, thanks for making it.
Yep
I was hoping she would talk about it when it was up on the lift. Give us more material! :-)
@@zapfanzapfan Oh, I did. It is always tactfully pointed out by the editors that my episodes inevitably start with an "abundance" of material for them to sift through. Oops. :)
@chelsea sexton Love your content! Tell the editors we demand more of it! :-) Maybe you can have a "directors cut" version on the side channel?
My favorite Chelsey Sexton Fully Charged episode to date.
Imagine how far down the road GM would have been if they stayed the course building cars like the EV1.
I honestly can't imagine that they would have gotten far or would have made great strides in technology. What you need to achieve both of those things is a great vision and incredible motivation and dedication to see it through, akin to what really only Elon Musk exibits in this industry at the moment. But GM had neither. And even if they had, the state of the world and the politics around them would have stopped their ambitions sooner or later.
GM would have probably beaten Tesla. There would be a GM EV2 with improved Nimh batteries with an extra 25 to 50 miles of range while GM is cooking up a new lithium-ion battery production recipe with the first vehicle using that new-fangled 100 dollars per kWh lithium-ion battery being a Cadillac.
Her waving the trolley bye is the cutest thing in the world. This woman is an absolute hero.
GM has a history of designing freaking awesome products and killing them immediately once they realized the products are unbelievably advanced. GMC motorhome of the 70s, still to this date unmatched. This EV1, incredible the technology it featured. Tells you about the quality of their management ...
Moved peoples cars around to give them charge!! 😯 This womans success is clear. Dedication. I am absolutely in awe.
What a lovely episode. I used to follow Chelsea F.C., now I follow FC's Chelsea.
Nice one 👍😄
Oh this is EXACTLY what I wanted to see! TY Fully Charged!
That girl is a hero to people all over the world. And I'm writing this from the other side of the planet. Thank you, Chelsea and EV1 for being and inspiring us all!
Chelsea, I absolutely LOVE the authority with which you speak on this stuff, and you don't let things slide when the guys understate the importance of the EV1 (among other things). I'm so glad you're on this show.
Aww, shucks. :) Thank you!
Anyone else catch the fabric shrouded trailer for reduced weight and drag? There's the subtleties of being efficient! I actually went to this show and got to see the EV1 in person, I've known about the EV1 for about 12 years now and it's been a crazy journey. Also test drove that Audi E-tron and it's an absolute blast! I'm not fully electric, yet, but the future looks bright. Thanks Fully Charged!
Why has no-one retrofitted new battery packs to these? Was not being drive-able a contractual clause that GM had for the remaining EV-1s? Such a shame as it would be great to be able to demo a working model.
Yes, of the ones that were not crushed, all were intentionally disabled before being donated to museums and schools with the contractual obligation that they would never be retrofitted and be driveable again. The only intact one is at the Smithsonian Museum because of their policy of accepting only exhibits in their original condition.
@@EatAmps hopefully it gets recharged from time to time ;)
@@EVPaddy yes it would be interesting to see how are they taking care of it. But I'm not sure if they're keeping it plugged. Most likely not, as they would eventually need to do some maintenance or repairs and there aren't many spare parts available...
@@EatAmps - It's disgraceful of GM to continue to enforce such a draconian rule!
The universities actually are allowed to rebuild them and otherwise use them as learning tools, and several have. This one is still in its original donated condition (so, missing batteries and some controllers), but it is also the best preserved one I've seen outside of a museum. I grok the attraction of hacking into them, but there are also much newer, cheaper cars on which to do so. Given how few EV1s are left, I'm happy for any that are preserved and allowed to remain publicly viewable (this one is to be transferred to a local OK museum soon).
Imagine the marketing mileage GM could get out of the EV1 now and in the future if it hadn't had such an ugly ending. What a wasted opportunity!
Dan Sanger And it could have pushed EV development even further. Perhaps we could have seen range figures like what Tesla’s coming out with now 5 years ago, at least
Because GM is all about 2MPG SUVs and big block V8 "fun cars" instead of pushing technologies forward. Then again GM did help kill off things like streetcars and the like.
Imagine if they were smart and relaunched the ev1, exactly the same but with modern batteries, that would start a craze that would close in on tesla, the problem is that you need literally billions upon billions in investment losses before making a profit.
Imagine if GM kept improving the EV1 every year since it came out. We'd be on the EV21 by now and it would have a 400 mile range and charge in 15 minutes.
It was amazing to see the EV1 in person and to meet Chelsea at Fully Charged Live in Austin. Looking forward to 2021.
Oh wow, that's gonna be a good one! I remember as a 10 year old kid I was fascinated by this car, and didn't think an electric production car would ever become a reality. Thanks to GM to help pave the way for our EV-future!
Thanks to everyone involved with getting the EV1 down to Austin for Fully Charged Live 2020. It was a great experience to be able to see this piece of history first hand.
THIS is what a Chelsea Sexton Fully Charged TH-cam video should look like. Forget the client's sales pitch, give us the story behind it, warts and all.
Chelsea saved the Electric car! Very impressed with how far ahead of its time the EV1 was..
Was it? I thought this one is going to be landed at a museum. GM doesn't allow them to be drive as far as I know.
@@immersiveparadox Yes, this one is destined for the Rt. 66 museum in Tulsa so more people can see it.
Bobby, your facial expressions while doing the news were hilarious, I enjoy the way you do the news. Chelsea, you did a very nice job on telling the story of towing the EV-1 to Austin and your feelings of being involved with the car again, thank you for sharing that with us. And if you have been, thank you for making the videos. Cheers!
Respect Chelsea ,way to go!! :)
Well done Chelsea. Great video. Your best yet on FC.
I particularly enjoyed this episode that marks the special place that this car holds in the modern history of the electric car. Thank you Chelsea Sexton and Fully Charged. I watched the documentary "Who Killed The Electric Car?", I can't even remember how long ago, with anger. GM certainly covered themselves first with glory then with shame. The shame remains.
Sometimes it's nice just to hear someone talk about a subject they know a lot about.
It was such a treat to see this car in Austin. Thanks to all who made it happen.
More quality content. Amazing facts there! Every vehicle should have heated windscreen, coast & 12v emergency charge functionality.
dxutube, my 1974 Saab 95 had a coast function. Just not electric.
Alex Wilson Pottery The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV has a coast function - you just set regen to B0. I use it all the time - regen is great for stopping/slowing but coasting is even more efficient on slight downhills where you have no need to accelerate or brake.
@@mondotv4216 very true, basic conservation of energy, always better to coast than to convert momentum to other forms of energy and back.
Ryan Fulcher Yep - you can’t beat those pesky laws of physics
Thank you so much👍😎I’ve been following the EV moment since 2012 when I saw who killed the electric car introduced to me by my oldest son I purchase A 2014 Nissan leaf and still driving it today with 65,000 miles great commuter car thanks again for all you do.
The EV-1 is the car that got me into EVs in the first place. It's what gave me the patience to save up for my Model 3. It took a newcomer automaker to get the ball rolling again.
Chelsea, your presentation was brilliant, the passion is so evident and thanks for sharing it. Probably some Accountant at GM said it wasn't going to be profitable and pulled the plug. It's good to know how far we could have been if they had stayed with it and how far we can go in the future.
I lived in Pontiac MI back than and I use to see a guy driving one of these home from work. Never knew what it was at the time.
"There's a button in the glove box so you can recharge the 12v battery if it goes dead"
.... my volt and bolt does not do this wtf
I have both and said the same thing. WTF!!!
I think GM had the technology far superior to anyone in that era but their skepticism drove them to end its production. Imagine the heights GM could have achieved with this car.
I actually once asked an engineering exec from the Volt program about this ~2010. He insisted that since new cars all now have timers on headlights, dome lights, and other accessories that are usually the source of drained 12v aux batteries, "there is no way to kill a 12v battery in a Volt." 2 weeks later, Bill Nye left the headlights on in the Volt they'd loaned him, killed the battery. :)
Well, Bill Nye always says that an experiment is worth more than 1000 expert opinions :-)
Funny thing, the last two generations of (now discontinued) Malibu Hybrid have this feature.
Really enjoyed that, what a missed opportunity by GM to absolutely dominate the EV market.
Sad how GM could have been the leader in EV's but always thinks like a heroin addict and burns it all.
They were cowards, plain and simple. They didn't want to make a market, they wanted to lead one.... they didn't do either.
They were shutdown by laws inforced by Petroluem lobby. Simple
Short-term gain, for long-term pain. Welcome to Capitalism.
Imagine if GM evolved battery technology back then. Range would not be a problem now
My initials
I didn’t know her background but now it brings a tear to my eye to see her come full circle with something so iconic. I’ll watch the movie now, even though I know how it ends, as we all do...
Awesome!!! Saw Chelsea many years ago when I watched the doco "Who Killed the Electric Car!", and now to see her as a presenter on the world's top EV show is fantastic plus to see the EV1, even if it was just on camera as being in Australia not easy to get to your shows be they in the UK, Europe or the US.
TassieEV1 just found out there is an EV1 in Australia
Thirty years old and still looks fairly modern
She's a bit older than that.
Oh, you meant the car? 1999 was not that long ago yet.
@@Markle2k Ha! :) It is 30 years since the concept car was introduced in 1990. First ones were leased to customers in 1996. Lots of testing, etc., in between.
@@chelseasexton7570 admit it, both have aged very well. ;)
GM also killed the Chevy Volt last year. To me, the Volt is an excellent car and truly the unsung hero of plugin hybrid EV car. GM certainly has excellent engineers. With over 100K miles and not a single problem and no appreciable battery degradation, I cannot understand why they would cancel such a great car. But then I am reminded that it is the same company that canceled the EV-1....
Thank you for bringing the car to Fully Charged Live. It was great seeing it again in person (saw one before in a museum). Back in 1996, I remember seeing it on the news and was so excited that one day I could buy one, an actual electric car. Unfortunately, as you all know, that never happened. However, I did eventually buy an electric car, in 2012, just 16 years after the EV1.
Great video, the GM EV1 and the Volt are one of the most underrated cars ever built!
Not only have I seen "Who Killed the Electric Car?", but I purchased a digital copy of this documentary along with it's sequel "Revenge of the Electric Car". I feel these are two immensely important documentaries that people need to see atleast once. GM never seemed to care about this car at all and eagerly cowed to the oil companies to kill this car and even with their modern EV/Hybrid options, those are merely there for fuel economy compliance for their entire fleet of various models they make in order to give the illusion that they've changed their ways, when they are still putting shiny new wrappers on the same old stuff.
I remember one of these EV1's on display in Disney's Epcot back in '97. At the time I wasn't sure what to think of it. It seemed to impact my newley wed bride more than me at the time. I was still loving my '96 Trans-Am so I just wasn't ready. Things change and I've been driving EVs (Nisan LEAFs ) for 7 years now. The EV1 was the first introduction for me, though.
I enjoyed the episode. Well done!
This was such a nice true FC episode! Loved it.
Yes, the big battery in my Hyundai Ioniq Electric charges the small 12V Battery to avoid depletion. I did not know the EV1 could do this also, wow.
ehm the big battery always charges the small battery. how do you think it gets charged? she was referring to a button to connect the hv battery to the 12v battery if the car died. a relatively useless feature in modern times.
@@kingprone7846 Not always. My Ioniq charges the small battery automatically if the car is switched off for a longer time. This happened the first time after approx. 3 days. This is indicated by a blinking charging light which I can see from my house and there is a message in the car display when you start the first time afterwards. Many Prius drivers would love the button from EV1 because it's quite easy to drain the 12V battery just by leaving on a light.
@@gerbre1 ehm yes your inoiq does that and so does my Tesla every 3 days and every other EV. I dont get whats so special about it. you need the system in an EV otherwise the 12V will go flat.
KingProne No when the Ioniq is off it’s off, there are no losses.
@@gerbre1 if i remember correctly the ioniq has a battery management system but it uses very little power.
“Coast down” - gosh that gave me a time jump. I learnt to drive in a Rover 14 which in the 1950’s had a freewheel mode you could turn on and off. Freewheel was scary when you took your foot off the accelerator approaching a stop. You expected the car to slow down but when nothing happened it felt like the car had speeded up. My Dad complained about the wear freewheel made on the brake pads - the complete inverse of todays Evs. Rover was not the only car with a freewheel, there was a SAAB, a 95 I think, which had this feature.
A great feature Chelsey, nice balance betweenn chat and action and your great background knowledge and war stories made it. Many thanks.
I believe that SAABS (and Wartburgs) had a freewheel because they were originally powered by two-strokes that were lubricated in by oil in the fuel. Going down long hills using engine braking meant no lubrication and risked a worn or seized motor, hence the freewheel.
One of the best episode to date mate!
6:17 It's good that you had the car in a covered trailer, you never know what crazy people might be following you, hoping you're not taking the car to the crusher. ;)
Or hoping you are!
2:16 Isn't that a guy from 30 Rock?
What seems to be quite lacking is charging stations suitable for when pulling a trailer. If all the lots are empty you can park sideways like they did but that is not going to work in the long run.
Lovely episode. Been smiling all along ❤️
Really great, great episode!
2:28 The EV1, even ignoring its historical context, is extraordinarily beautiful. It's incredible what happens when the design studio and engineering are left alone to work together without unwanted input from executives and data gathered from people who walked into a focus group for a free lunch.
3:27 To our European friends; electrically defrosted front windshields are extremely uncommon in North America. I didn't even learn such a thing existed until I imported my 2003 Euro-spec Ford.
Never knew just how amazing that car was!
Bitter Sweet Nostalgia.
Top notch content and production! Keep it up.
This is an amazing clip, thank you
Great information and the best production and editing since the loss of Mark and Jonny. Keep it up team.
I test drove an EV1 at Saturn of Costa Mesa. Loved the car and how it drove. Didn't like what GM did. Need to install Lion batteries in that sweetheart.
The history of this car fascinates me. I first watched both movies in my hybrid electric automotive class. I then ended up reading the book about this car. Then went to two museums to see this car. This is a very unique and interesting car
I had the wonderful pleasure of getting a ride in one around the block. It was an amazing car! Great video story!
So great to see you (Chelsea) again in this and it's incredible what GM could do when it actually wanted to. Aside from all the mediocre GM stuff of the same era, this and a few other vehicles that GM did at the time showed just how capable that company was when it wanted to be.
brilliant stuff and excellent presenter
OMG! So many great features on the EV1! I love features like the coast down button, and the button that can recharge the 12 volt battery from the main drive battery.
I have a very specific question, in the case that someone bought a ev1, and wanted to put it back on the road driving and registered, what would be some of the challenges to making that happen?
Asking for a friend.
Very good and thank you!
Very interesting, informative and revealing video 👍
"Who killed the Electric Car?" Got me into electric cars. Awesome to see an EV-1. Even if it is disabled :(
You should see "Revenge of the Electric Car" sequel.
@@experimental0000 I have seen that one as well! Like them both but the first it my favorite lol
@@Dontask443 same.
Likewise. After seeing that documentary I put an EV on my bucket list. Proud owner of a 2018 Leaf.
MyMrkeys Thats awesome! Congrats!
I'd love to have this EV instead of the cars we have now. Just update it to modern specs, like motor, controller, battery, LED lights and dashboard. But the rest like the windshield, coast down button etc. would be awesome. And especially... that teardrop shape. The efficiency on this thing would be top notch.
GM killed the EV-1 and then also killed the Volt.
I have just bought a (the) series one RAV4 EV LWB..belived to be the only one roadworthy in the UK...see you at the shows.😄 Chris P in Derby UK
1999, first registered in the Channel Islands..
Wonderful !
Absolutely loved this episode . I thought I knew everything about the EV1. Boy was I wrong. THANK YOU.
0:46 left side Falcon Heavy hoodie - That's ME! lol
Have the same hoodie, love it!
Nice info on the car. Wow GM actually let the engineers work! Thanks!
This is such a wonderful video and is bitter sweet to me because looking back and even when the EV1 was on our roads it shows what the industry was capable of which makes there decision to destroy this car and end this program with all that they knew a crime against humanity.
GM was ahead of it's time them and they could be a leader even today, but they continue to side with polluting our planet with planes they hope they never have to make happen. The EV1 will always be a painful reminder to them and us that we could have been enjoying cleaner transport for over the past 20 years!!
Corona Virus best upside is the reduction of CO2 emissions, which are now the lowest they have been since WW2! It shows us that if we made clean air and water a priority, saving lives taken by air pollution, people affected by dementia, lung cancer etc, as seriously as we are this pandemic... which is much less in number currently to the fatalities of the diseases and illness caused by just air pollution not including deaths on roads and highways every year by "dumb cars" that spew toxins out of their tailpipes, how much better off WE can all be.
This virus is a great time to find out how of an impact we have, what we need to have more of that is less harmful and when we get back to work, what industry and ways of doing things we NEVER go back to because we have better, cleaner more sensible ways to do things.
GAWD THIS MAKES ME HATE GM!!! Decades of momentum and progress wiped away until Tesla came in...
I loved the EV1, when I was 17 (1997) I kinda got to drive one in Disney World Orlando. They had one on dyno rollers at an exhibit. I actually wanted my first car to be electric but was disappointed.
Hi Chelsea from the UK,
A really great video and sooo interesting! It's not hard to see how Elon would have been inspired by this car. For the year it was built, it is truly awe-inspiring. I wish I could have been there to experience it close up. Phil
Very cool video, amazing! :)
That EV1 fleece jacket is so cool!
Oh what a good film!! (sorry, not profound, but sincere)
I would love to have the opportunity to completely repower an original EV1 with a new motor of comparable to slightly greater power output, the same mass in new batteries and see how well an EV1 could do with state of the art components. I bet its range would be off the hook.
Take one to EVwest. All it needs is a battery pack that fits and works. Or take it to Gruber Engineering.
Awesome car, really well presented.
Chelsea is a fab addition to FC ...Great video
Shame on you GM. Great Video. Thanks.
A super video, loved it. Shame GM didn't keep their market lead in this sector, or perhaps at that time the market was not ready for the electric car.
Yep. Still angry with GM about the Ev1 thing 😬
Man, I think the EV1 still looks amazing and I actually prefer its aerodynamic design over many of the newest electric cars. It’s such a shame that there aren’t many left. I think it would be so cool to install a modern electric drivetrain in one of these. It would also be nice if GM payed more respect to the EV1 by continuing the nameplate (EV2, EV3, EV4...) on future electric vehicles.
Damn - I didn't know the EV1 had a direct heating windshield defroster! Only the VW e-Golf has that at the moment. ALL EVs NEED THIS!
The EV1 is the most efficient (production) EV because of the super low drag. Though the Lightyear One will give it a run for its money. And the Aptera, if they can get the revised version into production.
And OF COURSE the EV1 can coast! Again, VW gets this, too. The e-Golf coasts by default. And I love driving it.
The first Rav4 ev also had it. Guess back then engineers still had a say.
with a good heat pump you warm up the car these days so that not only your windshield is free of ice, but you also have a cosy, warm car to depart in. That is, if you have it hooked up to external power.
@@calinolteanu8079 Yes, the e-Golf has it - but the ID.3 does NOT. :-(
I had heard they were working on a silver coating version (the e-Golf has tiny wires), but apparently it is eliminated for cost reasons.
@@Hans-gb4mv That still takes MUCH more energy. The direct heating defroster is virtually unnoticeable on the range, like the rear defroster, and the heated seats / steering wheel. If you must use the air heater, then yes, a heat pump is good.
Great to see an EV1 on FSC... GM did some amazing stuff with what was available - Lead acid and NIMH batteries weigh a lot and take up way too much space, but they proved the concept. If GM had remained committed to EV's from that time they would probably be the world leader today...
Great video 👍🏻
I had heard the trunk was designed to fit the large-ish medium sized magnacharger? Or gold clubs. Yes the list of innovations on the EV1 was rather impressive.
Two sets of golf clubs. And overall, it was simply meant to have a proper trunk. It did have a (huge by today's standards but large shoebox-sized in reality) 120v charger meant to be portable, but the full-sized Magnecharger was never intended for the trunk, and was delivered/installed separately, in advance of the car.
Wow! What could have been!!
This is how EVs should be designed - super slippery, not as big boxy SUVs. Bring back the EV1-look!
I live in the U.K.- I'd not heard of the EV1 before - I guess that shows how well the petro-chemical industry buried it! Very good looking car, perhaps 30 years ahead of its time, shame.
Awesome 👏 Thanks 😊
"Hey GM, when can we order the EV2?"
That's so cool....I have seen the 25 year old full E.V. Golf at the V W. Headquarters... Pioneering Tec back then.