Holy crap! I always liked the idea of a series hybrid as a way to resurrect turbine powerplants for cars, but I never knew before that GM actually built one! EV1 series hybrid
What the everloving *&^%*&^ was GM thinking with that? A 54hp 220 lb turbine that required octane boosted gasoline or CNG? I think you could easily get that output in a similar package with a turbine that ran on almost anything. Chrysler turbine car made 130 hp in 1963 from a 410 lb package that ran on whatever you fed it.
I lived in Los Angeles during the 'EV1' years. I think LA had about 80% of the EV1 fleet, I'd see them often. One of my friends leased on as a statement, he ended up driving it more than his 911. He had a tiny tow along gennie in a motorcycle trailer that he used when he was travelling more than 50 miles in the car.
They were pretty small, and the cockpit was compact -- not much wiggle room. While GM proved you could make a small electric car, the technology to make it financially viable in mass production wasn't even on the horizon - so after a few years of gushing red the crushed the project.
Too bad Elon wasn't there, he was busy making his first few zillions.
What the everloving *&^%*&^ was GM thinking with that? A 54hp 220 lb turbine that required octane boosted gasoline or CNG? I think you could easily get that output in a similar package with a turbine that ran on almost anything. Chrysler turbine car made 130 hp in 1963 from a 410 lb package that ran on whatever you fed it.
I lived in Los Angeles during the 'EV1' years. I think LA had about 80% of the EV1 fleet, I'd see them often. One of my friends leased on as a statement, he ended up driving it more than his 911. He had a tiny tow along gennie in a motorcycle trailer that he used when he was travelling more than 50 miles in the car.
They were pretty small, and the cockpit was compact -- not much wiggle room. While GM proved you could make a small electric car, the technology to make it financially viable in mass production wasn't even on the horizon - so after a few years of gushing red the crushed the project.
I never understood the part where they had to crush them, which seems to support the belief that the oil companies didn't just want just the cars crushed, but also the technology.
I never understood the part where they had to crush them, which seems to support the belief that the oil companies didn't just want just the cars crushed, but also the technology.
Many similar vehicles get special limited time permits to exist. Same thing happened to the Chrysler turbine cars. They were allowed on the road for a year or two and then were no longer road legal. Something about a demonstration or r&d permit. That let's manufacturer skip some of the regulatory crap to test something on a limited basis.
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