General Motors EV1
GM built an electric car from a clean sheet, then offered it only by lease to a small group of drivers.
1996 General Motors EV1 at Shanghai Automobile Museum · Randall Ferry · CC BY-SA 4.0 International
More than a set of wheels.
The EV1 reached its first lessees late in 1996 and was registered as a 1997 model. This page follows the first-generation car with its original 26-module lead-acid traction battery, not the later nickel-metal-hydride version. Its slippery two-seat body, aluminium structure, regenerative braking and electric accessories were unusually ambitious for the time. Drivers could lease one in selected U.S. regions, but they could not buy it at the end of the lease.
Look a little closer.
Its drag coefficient was about 0.19—so low that the rear track could be much narrower than the front while the body tapered smoothly toward the tail.
Photos show an example of the model or generation. The pictured vehicle’s year, equipment, or modifications can differ from the specification described here.
Designed as an electric car from the start
GM did not simply replace a petrol engine in an existing model. The EV1 used a bonded aluminium space frame, a heat-pump climate system, special low-rolling-resistance tyres and electric controls for several functions. Those choices helped save energy from a battery that stored far less energy than a tank of petrol.
Source: General Motors · EV1 retrospective ↗Lease drivers became a community
GM leased roughly one thousand EV1s and supplied inductive paddle chargers. Many drivers learned to plan around range and charging, and some strongly objected when GM recalled the cars after ending the program. Surviving museum cars preserve both the engineering experiment and that social history.
Source: The Henry Ford · 1997 General Motors EV1 ↗Where these facts come from
- General Motors · EV1 retrospective
- The Henry Ford · 1997 General Motors EV1
- Smithsonian · EV1 electric car, 1997
Selected facts checked for this edition. Some source pages link to broader model families. Last reviewed September 29, 2026.