Nearly a month ago, a General Motors EV1 sold for $104,000 via Peak Auto Auctions in Georgia. This EV1 had a rough life; it was leased to an owner in Boulder, Colorado who had to send it to GM for service multiple times a year, before GM refused to give it back, decommissioned it, and donated it to Clark Atlanta University, where it rotted for a very long time. Until now, that is, because YouTube channel Electrek Garage has just shared that it will be attempting to restore this EV1 to its former glory, with the full blessing and support of its new owner.
This is a very exciting development because, as my friend Caleb Jacobs wrote when news of this car’s auction emerged in late October, EV1s do not change hands very often—or, indeed, ever, considering how GM crushed the vast majority of them, and how every single one was originally leased, never sold.
So, thanks to Declan of Electrek Garage, we now get to see this very special EV1 in closer detail than those very crunchy auction site pics. This particular 1997 example is a “Gen 1” car, which means that it has a lead-acid battery, rather than a nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) one. Between the change in chemistry and the fact that the Gen 2 batteries were also larger, those later EV1s were estimated to travel up to 142 miles on a full charge, under the EPA testing regime of 26 years ago. That’s very respectable for the ’90s. Meanwhile, the Gen 1 cars were rated for just 78 miles.
Can We Fix This EV1? | 1997 GM EV1 Restoration
That’s the kind of performance that Declan isn’t merely targeting, but looking to exceed with a new, custom lithium-iron-phosphate pack that should be good for around 200 miles of range. But, obviously, the work this EV1 requires extends beyond its powertrain. Its windshield is missing a huge chunk; there’s a gnarly hole in its fiberglass composite trunk due to an apparent break-in attempt; and the paint is looking pretty rough. Inevitably, the busted windshield allowed moisture to seep in, corrode the metal, and infect soft surfaces with mold.
And, don’t forget GM’s self-sabotage job. As part of the “decommissioning,” this EV1’s battery and many of its electronic control modules were removed. At this point, it should be mentioned that practically all of the EV1s that GM didn’t crush were hobbled in this manner, and handed off with the stipulation that the owner was legally forbidden from fixing the car or making it drivable again. (Fortunately, that restriction hasn’t passed on to successive owners.) Just like GM to not only shun but actively destroy its greatest ideas at least once.
Anyway, Declan and company are off to a good start. They’ve already replaced the missing driveline control module and have an inductive charging system from a Chevy S10 Electric ready to slot in, which is handy because the S10 and EV1 use the same part. They’ve also identified which circuit boards need refurbishing or replacement.
If all goes according to plan, Declan hopes to get this EV1 running again a year from now—no more than 30 years to the day that GM delivered the very first EV1 to the lessee they’d later snatch it back from. In the meantime, we’ll keep our eyes and ears peeled for any updates. If you want a deep dive into the fascinating history of this particular car, check out Brian Silvestro’s story over at The Autopian.
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