Charge It

Hollywood environmental zealot Ed Begley Jr. drew snickers from status-conscious L.A. drivers for more than 25 years as he motored about in glorified golf carts. But the rich and famous aren't laughing at battery-powered cars anymore, and neither is the man on the street. General Motors' new EV1 electric vehicle has become the four-wheel stopper on Rodeo Drive. Not only is the EV1 great for the environment (electric cars are said to be about 95 percent less polluting than vehicles with an internal combustion engine), it's also fun to drive. Styled dramatically low to the ground, it accelerates to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds, about the same time it takes a BMW 318i. GM won't sell you an EV1, but the car is available with a 36-month no-money-down lease that ranges from $480 to $640 at 24 Saturn dealers in Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix and Tucson. You'll also need a home charger that leases for an additional $50 a month; installation is around $1000. But there is a bonus: The $33,995 EV1 comes with a ten percent federal tax credit and $5000 in tax incentives for four counties in California and financial incentives up to $2100 in Arizona. Carefully driven, the EV1 is ideal for almost anyone's daily urban commute. A full charge gives you about 70 miles of city driving or 90 miles on the highway. Top speed is an electronically limited 80 mph. To operate the car, just punch in your private code on a keypad near the driver's door. Once inside, tap your code again on a second pad located on the center console, hit a switch labeled run and put the shift in drive. The EV1 starts with a high-pitched whine. Pulling away, you won't hear any shifts because the car is direct-drive. Its transverse-mounted electric motor runs through a reduction gear that in turn drives the front wheels. On the road the car's uncanny silence enables you to hear all sorts of things, such as the rustle of tires and the hiss of the wind, that are masked by the engine in a conventional automobile. In fact, it's a bit like flying in a glider. Your initial experience behind the wheel will probably be affected by the EV1's relatively short range, and you'll find yourself constantly glancing at the battery charge gauge as it ticks off how many miles you have left. Feather-footing to try to extend the range is a common first reaction and not unlike trying to beat your personal record on a video game. Then you give in and enjoy the EV1's nimble handling and acceleration. Remember, there are no valves, pistons, spark plugs, gas engine, transmission or starter to go wrong. There's no exhaust system (and no expensive catalytic converter) to replace. Oil for its electric motor and gear drive lasts for life, so there are no oil or filter changes. But, the EV1 does have ABS brakes; traction control; dual air bags; power windows, locks and mirrors; and an AM/FM/cassette/CD stereo. Why the long wait for an effective electric car? The problem has been battery technology. Few buyers wanted to lumber around town in a vehicle weighed down with a ton of lead-acid batteries. So when the federal government approached carmakers a few years ago to inquire about feasible electric (text concluded on page 166)Charge It(continued from page 89) vehicles, the manufacturers stalled. It took stringent new laws, first passed in California and then in several New England states, to create incentive. Automobile manufacturers were told that to sell cars in California in the year 2003, they would have to guarantee that ten percent would be zero-emissions vehicles. That got the companies' attention, and soon they were developing concepts and jointly working on improved battery technology.

By introducing the first electric ZEVs on the market, General Motors is taking a bold step, for there's no infrastructure to support this type of vehicle and no guarantee that the public will either buy or lease electric cars. Despite the relatively high lease cost that limits its customer base to elite buyers, GM has its reasons for leasing the vehicles: It allows the company to control how they're used, to react quickly to any problems that might develop and to warranty all EV1 parts, including the batteries. Whether or not leased cars will be available for purchase after the lease expires has yet to be determined. Depending on sales, GM hopes that electric utility companies will introduce on-the-road quick-stop stations that would allow electric-car drivers to recharge their batteries fully in 15 minutes or less.

Not surprisingly, other companies are rushing to get on the electric bandwagon. Ford and Chrysler are testing natural gas and electric versions of some of their current models. Toyota sells an electrically powered RAV4 minisport utility in Japan, which the company is bringing to America next fall, and Honda plans to lease 300 two-door, four-seater electric cars in Sacramento and southern California.

But Americans like driving long distances, and, for that, electric cars aren't the answer. Chrysler, for example, has just unveiled a show car powered by a compact fuel cell that converts gasoline to hydrogen, which then powers an electric motor. This propulsion package fits into a normal-size car and promises approximately 80 miles per gallon and a range of about 500 miles. Toyota and Mercedes-Benz are also experimenting with fuel-cell technology. And Chrysler, Ford and GM are jointly studying various hybrid solutions (such as a vehicle that has an electric motor for city use and a diesel engine for the highway).

As we turn the corner into the next century, one thing is certain. The cars of tomorrow will be vastly different from anything on the road today--except, perhaps, the EV1.