In January 1990, GM chairman Roger Smith demonstrated the Impact, an electric concept car, at the 1990 Los Angeles Auto Show. The car had been developed by electric vehicle company AeroVironment, using design knowledge gained from GM's participation in the 1987 World Solar Challenge, a trans-Australia race for solar vehicles, with the Sunracer, which went on to win the competition. This was as far as I can tell the best beginning for EV's up 'til this date. Toyota, Nissan as well as Honda began development in earnest, anticipating battery technology would move forward in leaps and bounds. California even had a mandate, that by 1998 2% of the 7 car manufacturer's vehicles sold in California be emissions free 5% by 2001 and 10% by 2003... This of coarse didn't happen. Starting off, pretty much all the major manufacturers began developing a zero emission vehicle to participate in California's goal. This was looking good! 1994 GM released "Preview". A set of about 50 electric vehicles. These were hand built. 2 week consumer trials were started. High voltage plug-in boards were installed at the qualified testers houses. There were almost 10000 requests in Los Angeles alone! GM had never anticipated this kind of reaction! At best they figured oh.. maybe 100. New York city had nearly 14000 requests! After the cars were handed out (under strict guidelines). Reports came back as favorable. remember, this is a first attempt. A car magazine reported about the Impact saying "The Impact is precisely one of those occasions where GM proves beyond any doubt that it knows how to build fantastic automobiles." You'd think that by reading this quote or knowing about the initial response by the test consumers GM would be hopping up and down raring to go... If you thought that you were wrong. GM was quoted as saying " We have done our best. The vehicle has come up short. Now we hope the law makers will agree with us and postpone or scrap the deadline altogether".
This was a clear sign that that a least GM wasn't ready to give up their cash cow as well as the oil industries stranglehold on the world. Im stating GM in this report as the culprit. Ford and Chrysler equally had a dirty hand in this as well. GM developed a vehicle,Purchased a battery technology, and even tested a small fleet of these fabulous machines. So, im picking on them. My article...
Regardless of their quotes or as near as I can recall, GM moved forward with the electric vehicle program. Although they destroyed the Impact protypes (all 50 I think). The next vehicle was the EV1. I am sad and angry every time I talk about this little car. I bring it up in conversations when ever someone bitches about gas prices or the expense and lack of performance of current "hybrid" cars.
The 1st Generation EV1 was powered by lead acid batteries. With a range of 75 to 100 miles this was typical for a lead acid battery powered car. Nothing unusual here. There were 660 EV1 generation 1's built. The test bed areas were Los Angeles and Arizona. These were to be leased only. No purchases were allowed. Although $34,000 was the retail price suggested. Pre-screenings were done. Test families were leased the EV's from around 400 to 550 a month. This was around Dec 1996. This 1st year saw only 288 cars leased. Although by 1999 response from this group was almost maniacal in their love for this little car. Remember this was a test. Not production; So GM really didnt push this car through ad campaigns. They were doing this to prove their point and to get the CARB mandate stricken from the board in California. Dont believe me? Read on...
Let us not forget that technology starts small and grows slowly before technology improves and costs go down." This is a quote from the VP of marketing for Saturn. He supported the EV1 program although im sure he was silenced by the fire breathing dragon GM. Money talks; GM wasn't about to be the guinea pig in this corporate scheme to sabotage the electric vehicle program. What, with a multi billion dollar cash cow i.e. The antiquated internal combustion engine. The infrastructure in place there and within all auto manufacturer's cradles. Not to forget the strangle hold the oil companies have on the entire world utilizing these engines to supply the lifeblood of their "nations" with goods and services. Long-winded at best... Sorry. You get the point... Multinational corporations sharing their beds with one another. All the while we as consumers suffocate under their grasp.
Onward! GM released Gen 2 of the EV1 platform in 1999. With a huge improvement in battery technology. As well as quieter operation, lower production costs and extensive weight reduction. The real star here was the Nickle-metal-hydride battery replacing the lead acid battery in he previous Gen 1 car. This technology was initially developed by Battelle-Geneva research center and backed up by Daimler- Benz... you know Mercedes Benz, Daimler-Chrysler etc. 20 years or work went into these batteries. Im going to skip ahead here and move on to Ovonic battery company in Michigan, USA. This was the company that hit onto a stable version of NiMH battery technology way back in 1982. Improvements were made through the years enough that GM purchased the patent from them in 1994. These were the big batteries not the small packs of thousands in the "hybrid" vehicles out running around today. They had a pretty good deep cycle ability and a pretty good amp hour capacity. This is what bumped the EV1 gen2 into realistic mileage numbers. Here's the range capability the Gen 2 had: 100 to 140 miles between charges. Although I have seen numbers closer to 180-200 between charges. I know I drive less than 200 miles a week to and from work as well as shopping and goofing around etc. This is a real number people! The cost to operate this car was low compared to the cost for a gas powered car. Additionally, in todays high fuel prices and economy, this technology a decade later after billions put into it by now would have allowed mass production of the electric car like the EV1 gen2 to be affordable to many consumers. Here's where I spill the beans.
By October 2002 there were over 1100 EV1's out there on lease. Remember this was a test platform. February 2002 GM sent out notices to all lessees that they were to return the cars. Game over... By November 2003 Gm began reclaiming the cars. They were stripped and crushed period. Wanna know my opinion? Here goes... Theres a company out there named Chevron/ Texaco. At the time Texaco was a separate company. Well, it somehow "acquired" the patent right from GM for NiMH battery technology. The bought it. I can only imagine how the conversation began between the 2 super corps. Although im sure it had something to do with oil profits dropping massively due to the electric vehicles growing popularity. As well as the petroleum industries throttling of the world for profit in the next hundred years through their scarcity tactics and quest for oil at the expense of out soldiers blood and the blood of others unfortunate enough to be in a country with oil resources underground that they want. Oops! Well GM and the other car manufacturers dont get off easy here! An electric cars power plant and drive train is simple and reliable compared to a gas powered car. Think of all the parts replacement profits lost. Think of all those oil changes not needed.... That's just the tip! Yep, I can only imagine the conversation in that room on that day GM sold the world out to Texaco. Let's move ahead just only 1 week later. Guess who merged with Texaco? Chevron, that's right. One week later after Texaco got the patent rights to NiMH battery technology; Chevron gets into the game. Now, I know that by acquiring this patent Chevron wasnt going to
not sell batteries. They were gonna make it so expensive to purchase a set to power an electric vehicle nobody could afford to produce a 100% electric vehicle the like of the EV1 gen2 for a long time. Time is money as the saying goes... Toyota actually produced a fine example of an electric vehicle the Rav4 EV. Hell, they even met CARB's production requirement mentioned earlier in this article. The Battery used was the EV-95. Well two thing happened with the RAV4 EV. The first was the EV-95 was no longer produced and if it was it was so expensive to purchase.... Well you get the jist. Second; This is fuzzy as there is a gag order in place but as far as I can tell Toyota was sued over patent rights violation for using Chevron's NiMH battery design or similar enough to get their attention. The cost for this rebellion Called "patent license fees"; 30 million US dollars... That'll shut all of them up! No more RAV4 EV's. Although there are a good number still running out there in California with over 100,000 miles and many with the original batteries in them capable of holding 70% of their charge! I cant back that up but I have heard this claim. Pretty good considering no oil changes and very few moving parts to replace. Oh, The company owned by Chevron/Texaco that holds the patent rights is called Cobasys. Look it up. This subsidiary of Chevron almost went bankrupt in 2009 and was sold to Samsung and Bosch. You'd think this was a good thing altogether. Well, Chevron still holds the patent rights to the technology and continues to get the royalties fron use of such technologies. That is, until 2014 when most of the important patents are no longer theirs. All the while, with gas prices at $4 per gallon, the economy tanked , the US wallowing in 2 occupations (in oil rich countries) saving us all from the terrorists. Where is another alternative to these blood sucking parasites? All multi national corporations in my opinion are guilty of sleeping with each other. One 's profits probably benefit the others. All the while we suffer the consequences through or ignorance. I urge any one reading this rant to avoid watching the media circus news and study events that have led up to the problems of today. Turn on the B. S. filter. Follow your gut. The more we know the stronger we will be going up against such a group of giants, intent on only bettering their bottom line. We owe it to the planet and to our future generations to get it together soon.... We are running out of time.... Good luck!
