SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
from the Atari-2600-E.T.-Video-Game-Recycling dept.
https://electrek.co/2025/11/19/gm-ev1-saved-from-crusher-going-driveable-again/
GM only leased the EV1, never sold any, and prevented almost anyone from keeping them when it killed the vehicle program.
The automaker ended up crushing the vast majority of them. While a few empty shells exist in museums, they are strictly prohibited from ever driving again. But a new project has surfaced involving what appears to be the only legally owned EV1 in private hands...
A handful were deactivated by removing critical parts and donated to universities and museums, but GM required the institutions to sign contracts ensuring the cars would never be reactivated.
Now, a couple of engineers and tinkerers on YouTube managed to get their hands on what could be a very unique EV1.
This specific EV1 (VIN #278) was donated to a university that eventually forgot about it. It was towed as an abandoned vehicle, impounded, and eventually sold at auction under a court order. That legal chain of events reportedly broke GM's restrictive ownership contract, making this possibly the only "unrestricted" EV1 in the wild, though I am hearing that there might be a handful of other, lower-profile ones out there.
It recently sold at auction for roughly $104,000.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday November 30, @03:58AM (1 child)
Nice to see one of these running again.
However, it's a 30 year old car and tiny by modern standards--I hope the new owners don't get run over by one of the giant pickups or SUVs out there now--the EV1 is so low a distracted pickup truck driver might look right over it.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by VLM on Monday December 01, @03:01PM
I was bored enough to look it up because for laughs I think I prefer the EV1 specs to any "modern" EV specs. The NiMH battery has a 100 mile range which is still too far for me, wasted money. Maybe a tiny lithium replacement would be "just right" for me.
Anyway compared to a 12th generation Corolla its about ten inches shorter, almost the same width (quarter inch to half an inch narrower depending on Corolla model), and about 4 inches shorter. From more than 10 feet away, parked next to each other, you'd have to pay close attention to perspective and parallax to tell which is larger. It weighs almost the same as a Corolla.
There are huge problems with the EV1 I'd prefer to avoid. All aluminum frame essentially it'll be a pile of corrosion in about 5 years where I live. The tires are some weird custom motorcycle-like things no longer available as I understand it.
I think a redesigned EV1 with smaller lighter lithium battery, "normal" car parts instead of weird parts, and a resulting lower range around 50 miles would be just about right for me as a daily driver / second car. Nodody wants to sell anything like that, so what they are offering for EVs isn't selling. Oh well. China will take over the market in 2030s just like Japan cars took over in the 70s. If they refuse to sell what people want, they should go out of business.