GM EV1 Graveyard

[78Z]

Maybe this is old news but I didn't realize they crushed them all. I think they did it so they wouldn't have to stock spare parts for them. I remember Citroen did the same thing with their BiRotor car - recalled them all and crushed them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I hope GM at the very least sold a few to museums and collectors.

a couple more pics here - https://ev1-club.power.net/

 

[aeronca65t]

Wow...that's really too bad! I'm sure it was done to assure some sort of legal protection, but it's still too bad.
It reminds me of what happened to the US Army MUTT (Jeep-type vehicle) in the 70's. They were excellent for off-road use, but where considered too "tippy". Rather than sell them off to farmers and such, most were cut in half and then sold for scrap.
There are a few that were saved....and a few more that were welded back together /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/devilgrin.gif

 

[Steve_S]

Vehicle manufacturers are required by law to provide spare parts for a minumum of 10 years. GM wanted out of the electric vehicle market, so they recalled all the cars and destroyed them. What a shame. All those zero-pollution vehicles crushed instead of selling them back to the world as a "you're on your own maintaining it" vehicle.

 

[Bugeye58]

As an aside, GM's original name for the EV1 was "Impact".
I guess some sharp PR type figured that wasn't exactly a confidence inspiring name, and they changed it.
When I was working at the GM Proving Grounds, we had CD's of engine noises to play while driving! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Jeff

 

[Super 7]

Just think. They could have done it the Ford way, and bought a Toyota.

Those were all lease cars, weren't they?

I thought I read that they were not for sale.

 

[Bugeye58]

Paul, yes, they were all leased vehicles, and I think only available in Arizona and California. Possibly NY, but I'm not sure on that.
We saw them here, but only due to our proximity to the Tech Center and the Proving Grounds.
They had lousy range, and not enough power to run the AC on a hot day without shortening the range even further.
Jeff

 

[Jim Weatherford]

When I worked for Mitsubishi Motors at the National Hq. in Cypress, CA. One of my jobs was I had to view and certify by signature that they crushed test vehicles once the tests were completed.

It was in their case required by import laws, and the State of California, including their Hino Trucks (darn waste).

The other choice was to ship them out of the country rather than send them to the crusher, it was cheaper for them to just have them crushed.

 

[PC]

Had one of them slink up behind me one day while riding my bicycle in Irvine. Normally you're pretty aware of traffic around you just by the sound (unless you're one of those morons who ride with headphones).

Kind'a eerie having it just silently appear like that but very cool none the less.

I hope they're keeping a couple for museums. It's an important milestone in transportation history even if it wasn't the right car at the right time for the masses. More importantly, the lessons learned will help future designs in the years to come.

I am starting to see those golfcart style EVs popping up as local errand runners in some neighborhoods. Gives you a warm fuzzy feeling, knowing you're being environmentally responsible, setting a good example as a quiet neighbor, and saving some gas so you can put it in that BOSS 429. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif


PC.

 

[frankenstang57]

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nonod.gifThat's too bad, but very GM. I worked for a 'yard in the Detroit area about 15 years ago. They had a contract with GM to dispose of test vehicles, but we could part them out. They would give us a list of what parts had to be destroyed and the rest was ours. We video taped everything as documentation. It was really sad, brand new trucks with 3-4 miles on them crash tested, new Caddies, Camaro SS's, and the like. The worst was a nearly new purple Vette with an experimental motor. We removed the motor and had to crush it! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cryin.gif Oh well, can't save 'em all. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/nonod.gif

 

[Bugeye58]

There is a major liability issue involved for all the manufacturers regarding test vehicles. It's better to crush them and take the write off than risk the lawsuit.
I needed a Corvette engine for a project at the Proving Grounds, and got a new 'Vette with 16 miles on it. It looked to be a major job to pull the engine, so I fired up the Chop Saw, and had it out in a matter of minutes. We took the 'Vette to the scrapyard in the back of a pickup.
Jeff

 

[tony barnhill]

Hey, aeronica....I know where there are a whole bunch of those Mutts (they were cut in quarters) that could be bought & welded back together....they're tucked away in a little Tennessee town not far from here! &, he even has Mutt trailers (remember them?)

 

[William]

Most "experimental" vehicles are required to be destroyed, and there are similar regulations in Europe. CAR magazine once did an article on Ferrari's graveyard-a neat stack of crashed and damaged cars, from the (then-new) 550 to several older 412s and 328s. A similar article was done on the Jaguar XK8, when it was introduced. One of the writers ran it for a week then took it down to the scrapyard to see how cars are recycled. The idea is that nobody wants those abused parts finding their way onto road vehicles, for liability purposes, of course.

-William

 

[aeronca65t]

I know where there are a whole bunch of those Mutts (they were cut in quarters) that could be bought & welded back together....they're tucked away in a little Tennessee town not far from here! &, he even has Mutt trailers (remember them?)

Wow, cut in quarters..worse than I thought! I'm not looking for one myself, but I bet there are a few folks who would like to have one.
I do recall the little trailers too (I used to live near Ft. Dix....we saw them all the time).

 

[waltesefalcon]

Tony,

Were the trailers cut into quarters too? There used to be a retired Colnel here in town who collected military vehicles. He had a Mutt in his collection, one that hadn't been cut apart and welded back up.

 

[Bret]

Not that I was ever a fan of the EV1’s in the first place. In fact I always thought that they where extremely ugly. Likewise at $30,000 grand + plus projected value, two seats and little storage space to offer, they didn’t seem that practical or have an once of utilitarianism other than as a personal commuter vehicle.

That said - the crushing story explains why I hadn’t seen any lately.

But what makes this story even more confusing to me is that I swear I saw one about a week ago “still” on the road. Good or bad it seems that at least one might have escaped the crusher.

Here is a true story about the EV1 I’d like to share; Well before some of the first came EV1’s out for the general consumption, there were a number of these given out to a selected drivers for “evaluation”. Luckily for him - my old boss was one of the selectees that was given one. I even got to ride with him a couple of times and must admit that it was a bit unnerving the first couple of times when he started it up with little or more noise than one might make turning on their car’s radio. Anyway part of the agreement to drive the EV1s was to keep a running log book of the daily operation for the vehicle and submit reports.

As for problems he encountered: Most where power cell related. Maybe this was a problem for the first EV1s, but my boss said he’d needed to use the “free roadside assistance” (part of the program) on almost a weekly basis. Normally for being stranded after the batteries ran out of juice and one time they actually had tow it to the shop to replace the cells after the car failed to re-charge properly. My boss never told me exactly what the issue was turned out to be with the cells – but I can only hope they figured it out before offering them up to the average car buyer.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif