THE DRIVERS ASKED...

...GM RESPONDED

Why are you not continuing with the car?

We could only lease about 700 cars in the first four years.

But you only made 648 cars in the first four years.

If there had been a market we'd have been more aggressive.

How could you lease more if you didn't make more?

The problem is the batteries.

What's wrong with the batteries?

They're too expensive to replace.

If you mass-produced them wouldn't the cost come down?

Yes but we're not because no one wants an electric car.

Some of your former employess say there's a waiting list of several thousands for the car.

We don't have a waiting list. We have an information list.

Leading scientists have said that the technology around battery life is improving so rapidly that they are now close to competing with gasoline cars.

We can't wait for battery technology to improve. There may be thousands of people who would be happy to overlook an EV-1's limitations but you have to be on a path where you are thinking tens of millions of vehicles. Leasing the EVs at $350 became financially untenable.

As soon as California regulators backed down from stringent anti-pollution rules you stopped taking orders for the car.

California tried to force us to make something that wasn't ready for the market and it looks like they have finally realized that.