How an electric car dream was crushed

August 2024 · 1 minute read

Before the Prius and Tesla, came the EV1. The world’s first mass-produced electric car was launched by General Motors back in 1996 and was capable of nought to 60 in eight seconds.

However, within a few short years, almost every vehicle was recalled and crushed, and the electric car of the future disappeared in history’s rear-view mirror.

Witness History spoke to Wally Rippel, research engineer for AeroVironment, a Californian company that developed the EV1s predecessors for General Motors.

Witness History: The stories of our times told by the people who were there.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7o67CZ5qopV%2Bjsri%2FjpqtaKukpL%2BqsdJmbWlpZmWBeIA%3D