A Backwoods Home Anthology
387
The Best of the First Two Years
By Norma Gurovich
n 1990, General Motors announced
a remarkable electric car which
offered performance far above any
other electric vehicle. The sleek and
sporty “Impact” could accelerate from
1 to 60 mph in 8.5 seconds—faster
than 95 percent of all cars on the road.
It also offered a range of 120 miles
between battery charges when most
electric cars could travel only 40 to 70
miles between charges.
Although the “Impact” will not be
available for sale until the mid 1990s,
it marks a significant change in elec-
tric vehicle development. This car
shows that electric automobiles can
perform as well as combustion-engine
cars. It also shows that at least one
major auto manufacturer finally
intends to build electric vehicles for
sale to the public.
Until quite recently, progress. in
electric vehicles has been cautious and
confined to research departments. Car
manufacturers have waited for a public
willing to buy these vehicles while car
buyers have waited for a high perfor-
mance electric vehicle with an afford-
able price tag. Auto manufacturers
and the public may finally be forced to
resolve this dilemma because of
another issue—air pollution.
California’s Air Resources Board
(CARB) issued an important mandate
in 1990. it declared that two percent of
all new cars sold in California must emit
no air pollutants beginning in 1998.
By 2003, about 200,000 or 10 percent
of all cars sold would have to be zero-
emissions. Since electric cars are the
only zero-emissions vehicle available
today, this mandate provides an incen-
tive for auto manufacturers to produce
electric cars. Cities across the country
are considering similar regulations.
New cars
with unique features
Nearly every major automobile
manufacturer and numerous entrepre-
neurs are researching and developing
electric vehicles with an eye on mass
production. Passenger cars, pickups
and niche-market vehicles have
appeared around the globe. The van,
however, has received particular atten-
tion in America