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What are the obstacles to making GM EV1 replicas, albeit with modern batteries? The design still has merit and would undoubtedly be long range with the lead acid batteries swapped out for something new. You can get businesses making replicas in small numbers, for example, I am sure you could get a Lancia Stratos, however, would GM have a big copyright ban on such a venture?
The EV1 was the first mass-produced electric car to be offered to the public There were ~30,000 electric cars around at the start of the 20th century, so I’m not sure this holds up.
Which of those 30k was mass produced? The model t was seen as the first mass produced vehicle. I think when it obtained that classification it was producing around 200k annually.
Edit: apparently Columbia built 1,937 electric cars in 1904 alone according to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_(automobile_brand).
Do we all have that one friend who also secretly has an EV1, or is that just me?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Could you do anything like that to trick the DMV into letting you register a BYD vehicle in California?
No, having a title of ownership is not the same as registering as a street legal vehicle. BYD cars don’t meet DOT Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards which is a deal breaker, regardless of which state you’re in. Even if you could get it registered, insurance would be impossible.
Insurance would need to be from a specialty provider who do insure oddball vehicles. Someone I know (in CA no less) insured his homemade electric motorcycle this way. (It’s titled as the chassis of the BMW regular motorcycle it was built from.)
If you’re pulled over, you would need to show things like seat belts or turn signals and so on. I got nailed for not having a shoulder belt in a homemade vehicle made after 1960. Seat belt ticket was my punishment, although the cop remarked that adding a shoulder belt would be a good idea.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Could you do anything like that to trick the DMV into letting you register a BYD vehicle in California?
A mechanic/storage lien is simply a way to get title without the cooperation of whoever the last guy in the database as having title is. It doesn't solve stupid government rules. What's legal per the law is a tiny fraction of what you can put on a DMV form and have the form get past the clerk and process properly which itself is a tiny fraction of what the cops will go after.
The EV1 was the first mass-produced electric car to be offered to the public There were ~30,000 electric cars around at the start of the 20th century, so I’m not sure this holds up.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
No, having a title of ownership is not the same as registering as a street legal vehicle. BYD cars don’t meet DOT Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards which is a deal breaker, regardless of which state you’re in. Even if you could get it registered, insurance would be impossible.
Are they actually unsafe or they just haven't gone through the certification? They're on sale in Europe where the car safety standards are slightly different to the US, but generally considered more rigorous.
But yes, the vehicles which aren't on sale typically haven't been homologated. Why invest the time and money in that when it's not needed?
Actually deemed unsafe and not meeting the rules is much rarer, e.g. Tesla CyberTruck in Europe. (2)
In either case, you may get away with owning it, but not driving it on public roads.
1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homologation https://www.productipedia.com/kb/productipedia/compliance-re...
2) https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2024/oct/08/tesla-cyb...
For reference: the first generation Nissan Leaf had similar range to the EV1. I still have one of these. It's our family's second car, and has run flawlessly for over 10 years with virtually zero maintenance. Range is still about 60 miles per charge.
BTW... despite the antics of Musk, I think he was absolutely instrumental in advancing car electrification. Yes there were others making EVs, but Tesla was the first to make them cool and in so doing force the rest of the industry to move. Without Tesla dragging the industry kicking and screaming into EVs I think we'd still be stuck with almost 100% ICE cars. China might have done it, but that's because they don't have the same sunk cost in ICE engines we have.
The EV1 was the first mass-produced electric car to be offered to the public There were ~30,000 electric cars around at the start of the 20th century, so I’m not sure this holds up.
Wasn’t the Model T the first mass-produced automobile? Wouldn’t surprise me if the early 20th century electric cars were basically handbuilt by dozens or even hundreds of different manufacturers.