Gallery: 10 Cars Way Too Far Ahead of Their Time | Autopia | Wired.com: "1996 GM EV-1
We’re not about to wade into the debate over how and why General Motors killed the EV1 and whether the car was commercially viable. Suffice it to say the electric car was a wondrous machine and a technological marvel. First-gen cars produced between 1996 and 1999 used lead-acid batteries with a range of 70 to 100 miles; the second-gen models used nickel-metal hydride that bumped the range to 80 to 140 miles. GM built the cars to appease the California Air Resources Board, which was coming down hard on emissions to improve air quality. General Motors (and other automakers) fought the mandate and argued there was no market for EVs. GM built 1,117 EV1s and leased them to consumers; it argued the cars were not profitable and canceled the program in late 2003, took back the cars and crushed all but two of them. Those so inclined can argue the details and conspiracy theories in the comments."
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