All This Has Happened Before: GM Electric Car Circa 1973

Check out this little flashback to a simpler time. It was the 1970s, 20 years before GM’s EV1 electric car, when GM took part in a symposium with the EPA — no fooling — and displayed tiny gasoline — and, yep, electric-powered cars, like the one shown here charging.

There’s not much info online about these vehicles, but let’s not fool ourselves into thinking that automakers and the government weren’t looking into low- and zero-pollution vehicles before Y2K. Check out more images at the links below.

GM’s “Urban” Gasoline & Electric Cars From 1973 (Lost Brain via Jalopnik)

Comments

And this is why the Big 3 get ZERO sympathy from me. They've had their chance, many times, and let it slip away.

There were and there still are many electric cars like this...they're called golf carts. It's too bad that 35 years had to be lost. Just think of where we would be today if the research and development had been done that entire time. Oh well.

The great thing is the picture with the gas guzzlers in the background. We've come so far but yet we haven't.

are those toys? turth of the matter is that all companies could have done more. toyota could have given us a better camry, but it did more work on horsepower than it would do now. the next camry will focus more on the mpg than on the horsepower.

Hellooooo! GM are you listening? I'll take a 1973 Urban Car. Don't waste your corporate dollars building overpriced, oversized, gas guzzling luxury cars and SUVs. I ain't buyin'.