The General Motors EV1 electric car may have been crushed to death, but its legacy lives on. As the main protagonist in the movie "Who Killed the Electric Car", the GM EV1 has received a bit of notoriety for being the first production quality battery electric vehicle in the United States. General Motors would later recall and crush all EV1 cars because of a power struggle with the California Air Resources Board (CARB) over an aggressive mandated emissions schedule.

Like the current Tesla Motors Roadster electric car, the General Motors EV1 was a dream for both an environmentalist and a sports car enthusiast. The GM EV1 was a zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) as certified by the state of California. The first-generation EV1 cars in 1996 used lead-acid batteries. In 1999, the second-generation EV1 cars would be upgraded to using Ovionic nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries, which extended their top range from 100 to 150 miles per charge.

For the sports car enthusiast, the GM EV1 provided the thrill of knowing that it had set a land-speed record for a production electric vehicle at 183 mph. The consumer version of the GM EV1, however, was limited to 80 mph by the onboard computer. The EV1 was sleek, powerful and quiet as only the hum of the electric motor could be heard while driving.

The General Motors EV1 was also technologically advanced for its time. The EV1 used regenerative braking to recharge the battery. This same technology would find its way into future hybrid vehicles and hydrogen cars as well. According to some of the General Motors hydrogen car engineers, much of the technology used in the EV1 was ported into their hydrogen cars including the 2008 Chevy Equinox fuel cell vehicle, which rolls out in 2007 to 100 select customers.

Available only as a 3-year lease, the GM EV1 was a favorite among both environmentalists and celebrities, which is why there was such a flap, when GM decided not the renew the lease and crush the cars instead. Other car companies such as Toyota, Nissan and Ford also followed suit and crushed their electric cars in the same conflict with CARB.

GM had leased over 800 of the 1,100 EV1 cars that it had manufactured before deciding to discontinue selling the vehicles. Some of the non-crushed cars were donated to colleges, universities and the Smithsonian Institute.

For the most part, those who were fortunate enough to lease the EV1 fell in love with it. The electric vehicle is not dead, however, as several other models are now available for U. S. sales and more are planned for the future.