1996 General Motors EV1
GM introduced the EV1electric car in 1996 as a production version of a 1991 concept car called the Impact. It sold mostly in California, where state regulations at that time required manufacturers to offer a certain number of zero-emission vehicles. This car, the last "Generation I" EV1, was produced in 1997. Later EV1's were "Generation II" cars."
Despite high hopes, the EV1 ended up being a money-loser, GM engineer John Berisa told CNNMoney.com in a 2008 interview. The battery packs alone cost about $35,000 each to produce.
GM's decision to end the EV1 program and destroy most of the cars -- the automaker cited safety concerns -- later made the company infamous as the villain of the documentary "Who killed the electric car?" Much of what GM learned creating the EV1 later went into the Chevrolet Volt.
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Last updated December 24 2010: 9:44 AM ET
