This Ultra-Rare EV1 Hasn't Been Driven In Years – But That Doesn't Mean It's Abandoned

The GM EV1 was one of GM's first attempts at an electric car, long before battery powered monsters like the GMC Hummer were even a sketch in a notebook. The EV1 was produced between 1997 and 1999 with a total of just over 1,000 vehicles leaving the factory. This model was only available to lease and was powered by 27 lead acid (and later nickel metal hydride) batteries. The range was somewhere around 70 miles, which is paltry today compared to a car like the GMC Sierra EV that can get over 400 miles of range without much issue. Still, in the late 1990s, it was revolutionary. 

Due to a variety of factors including low sales, the risk of a very large decaying battery pack, and just flat out lack of interest, however, the program was canceled pretty shortly after launch. Ultimately, the EV1 was considered one of biggest flops in General Motors' history. Leased EV1s were given back to GM and mostly crushed, save for around 40 that were saved and stored away in museums or universities. As one of the rarest cars in the world, very few remain. One such EV1 sits in the parking lot of Howard University's campus. 

This particular model originally arrived at the university without a battery. According to DCist, Jason C. Ganley, a teaching professor at the Colorado School of Mines who was formerly at Howard, converted the vehicle into a hybrid model. Other students later tried to revert the EV1 into an entirely electric model again. "They said it's still in running condition, it just needs to get charged up," Ganley told the outlet. "If someone gets it some gasoline, it'll charge up and it'll drive."

Whether or not it's able to be restored and driven again is up to the engineering knowhow of students at the college. A report from the Howard University News Service clarifies that the vehicle is not just taking up space. It is still capable of teaching engineering students important lessons about the history of electric vehicles and the greater automotive landscape. 

Regardless, this EV1 has had a slightly more dignified retirement than other cars of its make. Sure, students may point at it and ask, "What's that weird looking car in the parking lot?" But sitting on a college campus and imparting lessons on the next generation of engineers isn't the worst thing that can happen to a car.