This may look like an ordinary sports car, but there's something shockingly different about it. No gas tank! Instead, it runs on a big battery, stashed under the car.
This month the General Motors Company announced it would begin selling these battery-powered cars in the fall. The EV1 is the first electric car designed from scratch and sold by a major automobile company.
The EV1 runs on a heavy, T-shaped battery about 18 inches long and 4 1/2 inches wide. Because the car doesn't use gasoline, it does not pollute the air.
But the EV1 has the same disadvantage as any battery-powered toy: the battery runs out. After about 70 miles of driving, the car's battery must be recharged by connecting it to a special recharging unit. And recharging is not as convenient as stopping for gas: it takes three whole hours.
Even so, carmakers expect electric cars will gradually improve and become popular. GM will start selling the EV1 in California and Arizona for about $35,000, and is planning an electric pickup truck. Chrysler and Ford plan to plug into the electric-car market in 1997."]