Editing General Motors Impact

{{afd-mergeto|General Motors EV1|General Motors Impact|28 February 2011|date=February 2011}}

{{Infobox automobile
 | image            = [[File:Gm-impact.jpg|350px|]]
}}
The '''General Motors Impact''' was an electric [[concept car]] that eventually was sold to the public under the name [[General Motors EV1|EV1]]. This car was the first practical all [[electric car]] that any large auto maker had produced. It was first shown in the 1990 [[Los Angeles Auto Show]] where the GM [[chairman]] at the time, [[Roger Smith (executive)|Roger Smith]], talked about how they were planning a project to see if electric cars would be accepted by the public. Most of the knowledge that went into the design of the Impact came from the [[Sunraycer]]. This vehicle was General Motor’s 1987 entry in the [[World Solar Challenge]] which it won.
There were three companies total in addition to GM that assisted in the design of the concept. The first and most influential was [[AeroVironment]]. They developed most of the cars operating system and used a similar electrical system to the [[Sunraycer]]. Al Cocconi, who worked for [[AC Propulsion]], developed as well as built the drive controller electronics. These components were later refined by Hugh’s Electronics.
The announcement that the concept would be sold to the public was April 18th of 1990. GM believed the car had a promising future because of the public’s strong positive reaction. After [[General Motors]] publicized that the Impact (EV-1) would be sold, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) passed an environmental mandate that stated, each of the United State’s biggest car makers had to have a certain percentage of their fleet in [[California]] emission free vehicles by certain dates. The timeline of the mandate went as follows: 2% by 1998, 5% by 2001, 10% by 2003. CARB claimed that the reason for the mandate was to try and improve California’s poor air quality which was the worst in the country at the time. If the auto makers did not comply with the mandate they would no longer be allowed to market their [[vehicles]] in the state.<ref name="nytimes1995">”New York Times” Wald, Mathew. [http://www.nytimes.com/1995/04/02/automobiles/behind-wheel-general-motors-impact-future-shock-driving-electric-prototype.html], April 2, 1995. Retrieved January 29, 2011.</ref>
The mandate quickly caused the top car manufactures such as [[Nissan]] and [[Honda]] to come up with zero emission (electric) prototypes. The second most popular electric vehicle during the time was the electric Toyota Rav 4. It was a practical small [[SUV]] that could be used as a family car, where the two door, two seat EV-1 (Impact) was more of a sports car.<ref name="nytimes1990">”New York Times” Stevenson, Richard. [http://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/04/business/gm-displays-the-impact-an-advanced-electric-car.html], January 14, 1990. Retrieved January 31, 2011.</ref>
There was also a documentary made about the Impact and [[General Motors EV1|EV1]] production version. The factual documentary which was called “Who Killed the Electric Car?” showed actual footage of the vehicles when they were being leased and operated by the American public. It talks to the design team and shows footage of when they were [[Product recall|recall]]ed due to the lift of the California Air Resources Board mandate.
==Specifications==

The Impact’s main electrical system used [[AC power]] so it could be charged at a home [[charging station]]. However, the electrical company had to install the charging station, which was designed and built by [[AeroVironment]], to your house in order to charge the Impact at home. The full charge of the Impact’s batteries would give you a range of 100+ miles of driving. One advantage of electric vehicles is that their motors do not idle which saves a large amount of power.<ref name="avinc2000">”AeroVironment Inc.” AeroVironment Inc. [http://www.avinc.com/engineering/ev1], 2000. Retrieved February 2, 2011.</ref>
An interesting feature of the Impact was that it had an [[AC induction motor]]s for each front wheel where most EVs ([[electric vehicles]]) have just one. With this system in place the top speed of the Impact was 110 mph. This was the speed that the government limited [[General Motors|GM]] to when making the vehicle. Its [[horsepower]] was also 110. When going the top the motors would be turning at 11,900 rpm.<ref name="avinc2000"/>
The biggest features that made the Impact most efficient were its drag and braking system. The [[drag coefficient]], which was 0.19, was substantially less than even most gasoline vehicles of today. This was a contributing factor of its unheard of range and high top speed. The second main factor in the large range was its unique braking system. When the Impact braked it used the energy that braking caused to recharge the batteries. This helped to replenish the batteries while you were out driving. It was the first affordable [[electric vehicle]] that could actually be used in everyday life by the American public.<ref name="avinc2000"/>
==PrEView==

PrEView was a program started by [[General Motors|GM]] in 1994 to get a better grasp on the public’s reaction to an electric vehicle. They built 50 Impacts, which they had to do by hand because they did not have machines that were for this type of vehicle yet. GM then advertised that they would be taking volunteers to use the Impact in their everyday lives for a few weeks to see if the cars performed well. These volunteers had to have a few requirements that the company stipulated. They had to have a garage and a [[charging station]] had to be installed at their house. The supervisor of the project at the time was Sean McNamara. He and others in the program expected the reaction to be small and possibly get a couple hundred volunteers. However, the reaction by the public was explosive. Between [[New York]] and [[Los Angeles]] alone there was almost 25,000 people who called in until PrEView finally had to close phone lines.
The results of the program showed that the public was welcome to the idea of an [[electric car]] and the reviews by the volunteers were very good. They explained how the car drove like a normal car. Some even said they would have never known it was electric. It looked like the Impact had a bright future. The biggest car magazines like [[“Automobile”]] and [[“Motor Trend”]] even had good things to say.
During the program the Impact was making a name for itself. In addition to setting a [[land speed record]] for [[electric vehicles]], it was being reviewed by everybody.  The Impact, as it was called at the time, was doing so well that [[General Motors]] was pushing the project along faster than it had ever intended. They already had marketing, [[dealerships]], and [[leases]] lined up for the release of the production version ([[General Motors EV1|EV1]]) to the public.

==Public’s Reaction==

The public openly accepted the car for what it was. A new and [[environmentally friendly]] type of alternative transportation. The car seemed to fit the lifestyle of modern day Americans which other electric cars had failed at. It had a reasonable range and plenty of speed to go on conventional [[highways]]. The Impact looked sporty while being practical and environmentally friendly. It appealed to many types of people and seemed like it was going to take a permanent place in the car market. The reviews that potential customers gave through PrEView seemed promising and gave [[General Motors|GM]] reason to believe that everyone would like their new type of vehicle.<ref name="nytimes1990"/>
==GM’s Reaction==

[[General Motors]] had a much different reaction to the success of the Impact, however. The company openly stated in several [[press conferences]] that they were not entirely pleased with having succeeded in making a practical electric car. Although at this point there was no stopping the project. The Impact was perfected, tested, and was starting to be marketed, and let’s not forget the CARB mandate that they had to meet.
Everyone in superior ranks of the GM [[hierarchy]] seemed to suddenly question the car’s ability to function in normal American life. The VP and even the head of the Energy and Environment branch of the company said that they were expecting the project to fail and that the car market was not ready for an [[electric vehicle]].
The company started to argue that the CARB mandate should be postponed or removed all together. The board held its ground though. They did not remove the mandate and this caused GM to have to continue with its project. [[General Motors]] became very unhappy with the whole situation and for the entire existence of the car and mandate they fought CARB.<ref name="nytimes1995"/>

==See Also==

*[[General Motors EV1]]

*[[AeroVironment]]

*[[Plug In America]]

*[[General Motors Corporation]]

*[[Nissan Leaf]]

*[[Chevy Volt]]

*[[Toyota Prius]]

*[[Honda Insight]]
==References==

<references/>

==External Links==

[[Category:Concept automobiles]]
[[Category:General Motors vehicles]]
[[Category:Electric cars]]