General Motors introduced the EV1, often described as the first mass-produced modern electric car.
General Motors produced the EV1 from 1996 to 1999 and offered it through leases in selected parts of the United States. The two-seat coupe was developed after California introduced requirements encouraging zero-emission vehicles. It was sold under the General Motors brand rather than a separate Chevrolet or Pontiac badge.
Early EV1s used lead-acid batteries, while later cars received nickel-metal-hydride packs that improved range. The vehicle used regenerative braking, an AC induction motor, and a highly aerodynamic body. GM stopped the lease program and reclaimed most cars in 2003, later crushing nearly all of them.
The EV1 became central to debates about electric-car policy, consumer demand, and automaker commitment. The documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? focused heavily on the program. It should not be called the first electric car ever: electric vehicles existed in the nineteenth century, but the EV1 was a significant modern production program.