Which company produced the EV1, an early modern mass-produced electric car?

General Motors produced the EV1, an early modern mass-produced electric car. GM manufactured the two-seat vehicle from 1996 to 1999 and made it available mainly through leases in California and Arizona.

The EV1 was developed after California introduced regulations encouraging zero-emission vehicles. It used a streamlined body and initially relied on lead-acid batteries. Later cars received nickel-metal hydride battery packs, which improved usable range.

GM stopped leasing the EV1 and recalled the vehicles in the early 2000s. Most were crushed, although a small number were donated to museums and educational institutions with their drivetrains disabled. The decision became a major subject in debates about electric-car policy and automaker commitment.

The EV1 is often called the first mass-produced modern electric car, but it was not the first electric automobile in history. Electric cars had already been built in the nineteenth century and had experienced an earlier commercial period.