Not quite sure what to make of this, but it appears that someone in Victoria, British Columbia has just sold a 1998 EV1 for $465,000 (about $431,835 U.S.). We got a tip from Patrick J. who said that he spotted the ad but was unable to get a hold of the seller before his or her contact information was taken off the ad. Currently the listing claims the vehicle is "SOLD" and the price is the aforementioned $465K. That's quite a jump from the minimum asking price of $75,000, and maybe prompted the transfer, even though the seller wrote: "Don't really want to sell it but I am taking offers." The seller added that the car's been in storage for four years and that "GM still wants the car so I'm looking for car collectors only, depending on the offer."

In any case, if anyone in Oak Bay happens to see an EV1 cruising the streets, think about stopping the driver and asking what they paid for the car. We're all ears.

[Source: Used Victoria]

NOTE: If you missed them, you can read parts one and two.

High tech development, market launch and retreat

Because its 1,175-pound pack of 27 advanced lead-acid (PbA) batteries - 26 propulsion, one for accessories - held a mere half-gallon of gasoline-equivalent energy, the production EV1 would have to be an incredibly efficient teardrop-shaped two-seater to achieve even barely acceptable range. Stretching it to accommodate four passengers would have reduced its already very modest range some 25 percent due to added weight and aero drag.

"The fundamental variables are mass, aerodynamics, rolling resistance, accessory loads and driveline efficiency," says Bob Purcell, who was our Advanced Technology Vehicles (ATV) Div. Executive Director. "So the exercise was to ensure that we would meet all customer requirements using the least possible energy in each of those areas."

Continue reading after the jump.

Triumph of technology set the stage for the future

• Our gift is a world of opportunity. To leave it a better place than we found it is our greatest gift to the next generation. – Ken Baker, GM Electric Vehicles
• "Since when does being an auto engineer makes you smarter than scientists specializing in the field?" – ABG reader John, on my 8/3/08 column, "Global Warming Pro." (Yes, "Pro")

Well, John, maybe not smarter, but maybe educated enough to have a valid opinion.

Engineers become engineers because - like people who become scientists - we are good at math and science, including physics, chemistry and biology. We study the same things eventual scientists do, then branch out into specialties. Some choose geology or climatology. I chose automotive engineering because I love cars and wanted to help make them better.

As technically trained people, engineers have a good understanding of what makes things work, how elements interact and what is physically possible...and not. We know that vehicle fuel economy is mostly about size, weight and aerodynamics. We know that technology can incrementally improve efficiency, but also that technology costs money. To redirect an old racing adage, how efficient can you afford to be?

Unlike typical non-technically trained people – including most government bureaucrats, lawyers, legislators and journalists – we form opinions and make decisions based on facts and data, not emotion and opinion. We have long-established BS alarms that go off when someone tries to tell us that something we know is physically impossible is not. We know there is no 100-mpg carburetor or 40-mpg SUV (If either was possible, why wouldn't someone be making a fortune building and selling them and blowing away all their less-enlightened competition?).
That said, let me tell you about the most exciting, challenging and inspiring engineering assignment I've ever had: Vehicle Test and Development Manager for what became the GM EV1. I know the real story behind General Motors' 1990s electric vehicle effort very well; I was there, working my proverbial tail off on it, and you can start reading this tale after the jump. A warning, though: those who harbor strong negative perceptions about EV1 and GM's intent for it - from that recent ill-informed crockumentary or some other non-knowledgeable source - may not want to read this, because the real true story will not reinforce what you already think you know.

Dr. Gloria Duffy is the President and CEO of the the Commonwealth Club of California, the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum, bringing together its more than 18,000 members for over 400 annual events on topics ranging across politics, culture, society and the economy. Dr. Duffy served as U.S. Special Coordinator for Cooperative Threat Reduction and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense in the Clinton Administration. Her column in the April issue of the Club's magazine, "I Miss My EV1," is a timely reminder of what could have been. Dr. Duffy believes "GM could have scaled the EV1 up to full production and been ahead of the game in producing a relatively affordable zero-emission vehicle."

She and her husband each leased the GM electric car, which they dubbed Red Sparky and Blue Sparky. She reminisces about how her "long commute turned into a dream - affordable, quick and non-polluting." Recently she met with some GM execs and was shocked by what she heard. She writes, "I nearly fell off my chair when one of them apologized for the way GM handled the EV1 episode. He said GM should have sold the cars to the people who leased them." You can read the entire article here.

[Source: Commonwealth Club]