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Electric Car Failure Essay

Decent Essays

The Failure of the Electric Car
By: Severin Anderson

Electric cars have always been a thing of the future. The promise of a “green” mode of transportation is something that most people would love to have. Until recently, only a few manufacturers have even attempted the mass production of electric vehicles. The early attempts by General Motors (GM) in the 1990’s to mass produce electric cars mostly ended up in failure. Electric car customers were forced to deal with long re-charging times, a much lower range compared to gasoline powered cars, higher vehicle costs, and limited model styles to choose from. Though some were willing to make these sacrifices, the vast majority were not, which ultimately led to the end of electric vehicles 20 years ago.
In 1996, General Motors released the first mass produced electric vehicle, the EV1. This was a 2 door passenger vehicle that was 100% electric. This was a direct effect of the California Air Resources Board, which required the top 7 automobile manufactures (at the time) to produce an all-electric vehicle to combat vehicle emissions. This was a new requirement to continue selling cars in California, so GM naturally was on board, but not without its own doubts. At the hesitation of GM, the EV1 was available for lease only in California and in a select few areas of Georgia. For unknown reasons, GM never made the EV1 available for purchase to consumers. Though many loved the car, many did not like its restrictive nature when it came to

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