If you’re in as many car-themed group chats as I am, you probably remember when a General Motors EV1—the company’s 1990s electric car that it famously leased to owners before crushing nearly every example—randomly popped up for sale at a tow pound lot in Atlanta, Georgia back in October, before being sold to a private owner. This was notable because this was the only EV1 ever to be legally sold to the public; all of the others that survived are still technically owned by GM and leased out to museums and universities.
The tale behind how this particular EV1 survived the crusher and was eventually acquired by its current owner is pretty wild. A week after the tow pound auction took place, I spoke to the car’s original lessee back in the ’90s, as well as the car’s newest steward, who dropped over six figures to have the chance at bringing this car back to its former glory. That story is definitely worth a read if you have the time.
Historically, GM has been militant about keeping EV1s out of private hands. The few that weren’t crushed are either well-documented museum pieces or sitting in the company’s own collection. When an EV1 was discovered abandoned in an Atlanta parking garage, GM was rumored to have stepped in and repossessed it so it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands.
Many people, including Billy, the new owner who refused to give out his full name in fear of retaliation from GM, expected the company to step in and take some sort of legal action to get the car back. But that’s not happening this time around. In fact, for VIN #212, it sounds like GM is giving full support to Billy and the group of people attempting to restore this EV1 to its former glory.
GM Welcomes The New Owner With Open Arms
When it comes to the sale of rare cars, it’s pretty common for the general public to be in the dark. A lot of high-end, desirable collector cars trade hands behind closed doors, where wealthy collectors make back-room deals and ship cars to their new owners without anyone ever knowing.
The sale of this EV1 was different, clearly. The tow pound told me over the phone back in October that the car was marked as abandoned by the Clark Atlanta University Public Safety agency—the school’s on-site police force—and removed from the premises. The tow pound, A-Tow Atlanta, listed the car for sale publicly, and didn’t know how important it was (it was listed on its auction website as a “GMC ELECTRIC VEHICLE”).
It didn’t take long for the internet to discover that there was an actual EV1 for sale to the public, setting off a flurry of coverage across the blogosphere, including a post by me the day it was sold. There was no hiding that this car existed, and no hiding that someone had paid $118,000 for it.
Obviously, GM knew as well. But instead of filing a lawsuit or sneaking into Billy’s restoration shop in the dead of night to take the EV1 back, the company is taking the opposite approach. In a video published today by Jared Pink of The Questionable Garage YouTube channel, it’s revealed that GM actually invited the restoration team to its headquarters to get a tour of its Heritage Collection, including close-up looks at two fully functioning EV1s.
While that’s all very cool, the most important part comes at the end, when the video teases a walk around GM’s modern battery facilities and what looks like an interview with President Mark Reuss. In that teaser clip, Reuss tells the camera, “Anything you need, we’ll help, we will.”
Not only is this sentiment a big reversal from GM’s usually secretive attitude towards EV1s in general, but it’s also a huge win for the people restoring the car and all of the other enthusiasts out there who want to see it running again. Previously, Billy, Jared, and the other folks working on this EV1 were totally on their own with regards to parts, which, as you can imagine, for a car that was never sold to the public, are incredibly hard to come by in the wild.
So, How Is General Motors Helping?
Jared and Billy remained coy about specifics when I asked about GM assisting them—they wanted to save that reveal for a video they’re planning to release next week. In the meantime, it’s easy to make some educated guesses, based on the car’s condition when it was sold back in October.
The most obvious part that needs replacing is the windshield, which is an EV1-only part that wasn’t used on any other model in GM’s portfolio. If you know anything about automotive glass, you’ll know getting a windshield custom-made is wildly expensive—usually around six figures for just a small batch. There’s also the driver’s side quarter panel, which is smashed in, and the original battery pack, which is simply missing. If this were any other General Motors product, you could just go to your local junkyard and pull the pieces off a wrecked example. But here, the parts simply don’t exist outside of GM.
It’s not just body parts that this EV1 needs. Here’s what Billy told me when I spoke to him on the phone back in October:
“The charge cable was cut,” Billy says. “Inside the power inverter module, we’re missing the driveline control module. It’s a computer that’s on the inside of the [power integrated module] that a bunch of these ribbon cables plug into. And one of our ribbon cables is ripped.”
Going by Reuss’s words in the video above, it’s possible GM still has all of this stuff sitting in a warehouse ready to go on the car, and if it doesn’t, then it could lend assistance to get parts remade. While we won’t know for sure until next week, a bit of Google searching revealed an interesting auction listing for a handful of EV1 parts recently sold by GM to an undisclosed buyer.
The auction, held last month by an industrial liquidation firm called BTM Industrial, was simply labeled as “EV1 Parts.” There aren’t any photos of actual parts, but an image listing a bunch of EV1-specific parts, including a windshield, a driver-side quarter panel, battery box harness, an instrument cluster, and a handful of modules and junction boxes. On top of the list, there’s text that reads, “Subject to availability, in GM’s sole discretion.”
While neither GM nor Billy has confirmed anything, it’s entirely possible these are the parts GM is supplying to Billy, Jared, and the rest of the team to keep the restoration rolling. Seeing something as specific as a driver-side quarter panel on the list makes me feel like this must be the case—but again, we won’t know for sure until next week.
Regardless of how much help Billy and Jared are getting from GM, I think this is the best possible outcome. From the jump, there was lots of worry that this project might be shut down or otherwise interrupted by GM, but now that the brand is lending its support, there’s nothing left stopping the team from getting this EV1 back on the road. If GM is really providing all those parts, it could happen a lot sooner than the planned completion date of November 14, 2026 – exactly 30 years since the first drive of the EV1 back in 1996.
Top graphic image: The Questionable Garage / GM
I still hate GM with a seething passion…. BUT. This is really cool of them to step in and help restore the vehicle. I imagine that this doesn’t cost GM a ton, and the PR aspect of it will pay off handsomely for both Billy and GM at the end of the day.
I’m quite the fanatic of the EV1 (maybe its the forbidden fruit aspect of it, or the way-ahead-of-its-time technology for the 90s), and every time I’m at the Henry Ford, I spend far too much time ogling over the model on display there.
This is definitely GM’s smartest move. It costs them virtually nothing to get rid of a handful of parts they’ve been sitting on for 30 years and it gets them a bunch of free goodwill, something they could really use right now what with their new truck engines and transmissions failing faster than they can replace them.
Take some Lexan and make a windshield. If it’s good enough for an airplane, it’s good enough for the EV1. The car doesn’t have any driving assist cameras, so Lexan will work.
Very different application and priorities. Besides not being as optically clear, polycarbonate scratches readily, like when used with windshield wipers, and is a PITA to form into compound curves by hand, especially at the thickness that would be used, and it has to be dried to get water out of it first as it’s hygroscopic. If they would opt to use a fairly precise heated mold, then they might as well go with laminated safety glass. The windshield is also likely a partly structural element and PC has different properties that might not go well with that. Also not sure how much space needs to be left to account for greater thermal expansion and if the windshield recess and molding would accommodate it. I’m sure whatever GM is charging for the real deal is a lot less, anyway.
why does this feel like an Abandon-ware game: The industry moved on, the platform isn’t great, and you can’t monetize it so fuck it.
Someone at GM PR finally doing their job. They realized they need to do a mea culpa to the bev people. Especially as they are trying to build that segment. Some of the ev1 people turned to big bolt people and they were able to get him to start building that again. It’s in their interests to not hide it anymore but try to say they were the first we know what we are doing. They should make a program to fix the ones in museums too. And find someone to blame for the destroying them in the first place. I’m sure there is a dead guy that will fit the bill.
I REALLY hope they can supply a battery back with current chemistry, leaving the rest of the car as-is, so we can find out just what kind of range that design can get.
It used 0.16 kWh/mile to hold a steady 60 mph on the highway. I bet the same mass of modern batteries replacing the 26 kWh NiMH pack could yield a 500+ mile range, or alternatively, you could have the EV1 lose 500+ lbs and get a 300 mile range, at 70 mph.
I was half-hoping “LS Engine” and related parts were included in the auctioned parts list.
Seriously, though, there is an EV1 at the LeMay Museum down the street from where I live. I think is is gorgeous. I wish it was placed in more prominent spot, but it is always worth finding. I leave a bit of drool next to it every time I visit.
(Seriously, it’s just drool.)
I estimate an LS V8 swap in an EV1, given its mass and drag, would yield close to 45 mpg highway at a steady 70 mph. The Corvette C5 gets about 30 mpg at the same speed.
What current GM engine would you put into the EV1 to get the best MPG’s?
The ‘best’ engine for highway MPG is as small as you can go while making the power you need to maintain highway speed, at a low ish RPM. Out of current production options, the 1.2T LIH 3 cyl is basically the only option that makes sense.
If I could make it somehow fit and work, the 6.6L Duramax, assuming we’re restricted to US engines. Convert it to RWD, and that would be amazing in a car this light and slippery. You’d have a 70+ mpg highway hypercar made out of GM parts bin components, and it would be relatively cheap if mass produced.
Go worldwide, then 1.6L CDTI Ecotec diesel. It would be a much more balanced choice and still perform very admirably, and might crack 90+ mpg highway.
OK, now I really want GM to build a new EV1
The new bolt is basically the closest you’ll ever get with current management.
It has about 2x the drag of the EV1 and is much fatter. It’s not even close.
Exactly. The EV1 is the direction I wish EVs went, despite not being a big EV fan. A light weight (sub 3k lb) car with a 350mi highway range for less than $30k would be pretty tempting, and it would probably 10-80 charge in about 5 minutes with current tech.
I wish gasoline and diesel cars would have gone in this direction as well. We could easily meet a CAFE of 50+ mpg using gasoline ICE if the footprint rule were eliminated and assuming no EVs existed at all. Add in EVs, and we could raise that to 100+ mpg. And with 30-year-old tech, at that.
Now imagine you can get an ICEV or EV in this spec for under $25k MSRP. Everyone would save so much damned money and we’d be making serious inroads into not frying the planet.
1000% agreed. This is one of the rare places I’d entertain more licensing: if vehicle weight was controlled more strictly than ‘size’ for emissions regs, and all trucks/suvs in general required an endorsement akin to motorcycles.
Those that want/need to drive trucks will, but normies that don’t care about cars/trucks in the slightest won’t bother. Not to mention the fuel cost discrepancy would be way more staggering than it is today.
Something I didn’t expect to say today, “Way to go, GM!”
I suppose GM’s liability concerns are overridden by the fact that this car, once fully recommissioned, will qualify for antique plates.
Ohhh… this is sooo exciting. So GM is FINALLY doing an about-face with regards to the EV1.
Certainly cheaper getting one from GM, but last I looked, low production run molds for a custom windshield ran just over the 5-figure mark. I doubt they’ve gone up 10-fold since.
It’s awesome to hear that GM might help with this restoration. It’s also awesome to hear that the GM Heritage Collection still exist. This closed at the outbreak of Covid and was supposed to move, but has never reopened. I want to visit again… it’s such an amazing collection.
Is nobody going to talk about how much that bottom image looks like a robot staring at us, arms akimbo? I honestly thought it was some sort of old-fashioned GM mascot, Andy the Assembly Robot or something.
Strongest pareidolia I’ve felt in ages.
Imagine this beast repowered with modern batteries. Range at the time was downright impressive for an EV at occasionally over 100 miles, and the mass was huge – 1300 pounds for some chemistries. Cut out 600 pounds while increasing the capacity, the EV1 would be both peppy and long-legged.
I am spellbound. As soon as the YT vid for the build team dropped the first time, I subscribed.
And heads up to GM: THIS is how you build social capital.
Great reporting work finding the auction listing! I think you can make a stronger claim than “entirely possible” that these parts are going to Billy. Written like that, it implies there could be someone else out there purchasing a random assortment of EV1 parts.
Smart PR, keep it up GM!
(I assume GM execs are all on Autopian and read the comments;)
Mary, if you’re here, where are the Raptor and Wrangler fighters?
Oh, and the Elmiraj?
As long as we are making request, can I get one Ceil, please. Preferably in an emerald green color with tan interior.
I’ve always been a fan of GM. I enjoyed the article.
I remember the EV1, even even though I have no experience with any “car-themed group chats”
I would drive an EV, especially a regular-cab pickup, and I’ve even been thinking about looking into the Slate a year or so after it comes out. But I do not own a cell phone, and have no desire to own one. It seems every EV manufacturer nowadays wants subscribers and people to download their apps.
I just want a basic small truck. Without a back seat. And without needing to own a mobile phone.
I guess I’m an audience of one when it comes to this.
You clearly have internet and some kind of computer. Just sayin.
Fiber-optic Internet, actually.
And a land-line. It’s a package deal. Phone and Internet.
But I enjoy not having a mobile phone.
I have a laptop, but I don’t bring it with me everywhere I go. I only bring it on road trips if I need it to book motel rooms.
It’s a difficult mindset. I just enjoy the peace, quiet, and relaxation of not being tied to a phone.
The wife and I just look back fondly at the time when people weren’t tethered to their phones.
We understand that they can be useful tools, but we just enjoy not owning one more than we would enjoy owning one.
Ignorance is bliss, I guess.
Could be getting his Autopian fix at his local library. Having fun isn’t hard if you got your library card.
The Slate probably doesn’t require actual phone service, since it doesn’t do OTA updates live.
It would probably suffice if you asked your friends if any of them has an old phone in their junk drawer. Then download any update to your desk computer and copy it to the phone (via bluetooth, wifi, or a cable, depending on what the Slate provides) to install. I expect the same connection is used for the backup cam.
Thanks for this. We actually have an older Samsung tablet in the house that might work for installing updates.
You don’t need a phone to own/drive an EV pickup. At least GM and Ford still have a fob to enter and start it. Of course those are only crew cabs. You also don’t need to pay for the app at least on the Fords. Even without the app you can do things like set charge limits, scheduled charging and departure times. Since the 3G sunset that is what my Daughter does with her 2013 C-Max and those are in my Son’s Lightning.
Good to know.
it’s revealed that GM actually invited the restoration team to its headquarters to get a tour of its Heritage Collection, including close-up looks at two fully functioning EV1s.
We all know that if this had happened back in the 1990’s the tour would have ended at the EV-1 crusher and we never would have seen these guys again.
Question though – why use an outside auction company for the parts as opposed to a private sale? Some kind of company policy? A way to claim a tax write down of some sort? Avoiding a lawsuit filed by that Baywatch lady who was super mad about her EV-1?
Disposing of assets is a tricky thing for OEMs, they can’t officially sell parts directly to consumers, which is the other reason dealerships exist. This seems like a very creative way around this. They sell through a third party to another business that happens to be owned by the person who owns the car.
Also probably does help shed liability since the auction parts are probably ‘as is/surplus’
These obsolete parts were probably sent to this third party to get them off the books. They hold them and if gm needs them they can buy them back. Our company did this before with a bunch of electronic components. There was a time that they would hold them for but I don’t remember what that was.
That’s fantastic. Everything I’ve read about Mark Ruess suggests that he’s a genuine car guy.
He is absolutely
And then there’s Bugatti. Boo….
Would you like to share a little context regarding your Bugatti bashing?
Mat Armstrong (YouTube). He rebuilds wrecked exotics. He’s rebuilding a Chiron and Bugatti has refused to sell him any parts.
That’s great, good on GM to be cool and helpful on this project!
The dollars and cents reason that GM took back all the leased EV1s and crushed them is that federal law requires companies to provide parts for a vehicle while it is still in warranty. That is a huge cost for a tiny number of vehicle sold.
Now that any warranty periods are well past there is no reason for GM to care about the EV1 and helping out with some parts is a smart PR move that costs them next to nothing.
“The dollars and cents reason that GM took back all the leased EV1s and crushed them is that federal law requires companies to provide parts for a vehicle while it is still in warranty. ”
The official line from GM’s management/lawyers was “you have to provide parts and service for 10 years under the law”
Except no such law exists.
Oh there are some laws where they have provide parts, service and warranty for EMISSIONS components for up to 10 years in some states, but that does not apply to the EV1.
Also by the end of the 3 year lease, the warranty would have been up.
And thus, there was absolutely no logical reason that all those EV1s needed to be crushed in the first place… except for the fact that having those EV1s driving around made GM’s anti-ZEV government lobbying harder.
Federal law requires emission components to be covered for 8 years / 80,000 miles. For EVs that includes the battery and OBD-II
“For EVs that includes the battery and OBD-II”
For the battery, that’s true today, but it wasn’t true in the early to mid 2000s.
The relevant change was in 1995. Back then only the battery and control module were considered emission components.
Today it is:
(v) Batteries serving as a Renewable Energy Storage System for electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, along with all components needed to charge the system, store energy, and transmit power to move the vehicle.
That is Federal rules. CARB has stricter requirements today and also back when the EV1 was being leased.
I found out the hard way about the lack of a 10 year parts supply law. I have a Fiat 500 Abarth with a bad inner CV cup on the passenger side and Fiat does not carry it.
I love this so much! Glad Jared’s channel is documenting the entire thing!
They may as well get some PR out of this as they are trying to sell more EVs.
That was “Old GM” crushing the EV1s anyway. Or at least that’s what my lawyer would be arguing if they came to try to take the car I paid $120k for at auction.
After countless news stories, blogs, articles, TV shows, a movie, and endless jokes – doing anything else would have been a lightning-rod of negative attention.
This has opportunity to be a massive move by GM that could bury the Google algorithm for the EV1.
Honestly it’s an easy and fairly cheap thing to do for good PR. The remaining parts can’t be used on any other EV1.
It doesn’t heal the wound but it doesn’t open it any further.
We need a ‘Who Killed the Electric Car?’ Part 3 that focuses on how technophilic they are and how enshitification has hit them but there’s hope (like the 2027 Bolt)
I don’t know how OEM inventory management works, however I’m shocked they kept them around. It costs $$ to store stuff (for 30 yrs no less) and to what end?
The tech bloat and deliberate design choice of bloated/unaerodynamic/heavyweight vehicles has negated their biggest advantages and driven the cost to the stratosphere.
A simple, no-bullshit, easily serviceable/repairable, go-fast economy car with excellent aerodynamics and a Miata-like mass would be great. We could have had that in the 1990s, and the battery tech has seen a 5x increase in energy density since then.
If Slate’s pickup is a success, I’d love to see what sorts of economy cars and sports cars that they will produce in the future.