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GM destroyed its own EV1 fan club, even arresting two would-be cash buyers. Instead of selling the EV1 for cash, GM spent money dismantling and smelting them. GM had a niche market cachet, highly visible and fanatically loyal drivers, and GM trashed the whole thing. The EV1 was a car made in the USA, and fueled by American electrons; often, by rooftop solar systems on the drivers home. Former EV1 drivers were, as others, driven to Toyota, and now drive the all-electric RAV4-EV, last sold in Nov., 2002.
| GM even owned control of the only batteries proven to last longer than the life of the car, Nickel Metal Hydride. GM threw that away, too, selling it on Oct. 10, 2000 to Chevron (Texaco). Yes, GM once owned the batteries needed for Toyota's Prius. There's a lack of accountability, with GM staggering on, defeat after defeat, not admitting mistakes such as this huge one. By trashing the EV1, insisting on destroying every copy, GM demonstrated its ongoing and continuing dis-interest in more efficient cars. Even when volunteers rebuild a gutted, museum 1997 EV1 so that it can run again, GM orders them to "cease and desist" (only 44 1997 EV1 were donated, the 1999 were crushed). GM has never made money at small, gas-efficient cars, and even now views hybrids and EVs as merely a perception problem. It's still waiting for the return of $2 gasoline. GM's "strategy" of rebranding Saturn and Daiwoo small cars runs against the tide of the falling dollar, squeezing their profit margin even more, and showing that they are not serious about a transition to actually building more efficient cars in the USA. They are only interested in bridging the perception gap until what they hope is the return of cheap gas. Indeed, GM is still spending money suing California and lobbying Congress to keep MPG standards low, indicating their real continuing interest in making gas-guzzlers. It's not just a perception problem, and not just a rotten management problem: GM doesn't make the kind of cars that people want, cares little for customer care, and has permanently alienated a lot of former "consumers". Because of GM's prevarication and disinformation about the EV1, and their failure to admit existing technology that could be used, their supposed VOLT suffers from open disbelief among former Electric car drivers, instead of the open-arms that one would think it deserves. But blatant GM lies about "why the EV1 didn't sell" (the EV1 was never offered for sale) and its performance indicate that GM is still following its disastrous oil-based policy. Those charged with "engineering" the supposed VOLT still fail to acknowledge the 140 mile EPA range on the EV1, its success at the mission for which it was designed, and lessees' love for the car. GM is still lying about the supposed "range problem", a problem created only in the minds of GM enemies of the EV1. It adds up to the biggest problem about GM: lack of credibility. No one believes them any more. RE: Chrysler efficiency, GM perception |
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