General Motors announced today that they have again developed an electric car - the Chevy Volt.
The company first developed an electric car - the EV-1 - in 1996, and leased a number of prototypes to Hollywood stars.
The EV-1 was made after California legislators mandated the production of zero-emissions vehicles.
But at the same time that the company was producing the world's first electric car, it was also engaged in litigation to force California to lift its mandate.
When the litigation succeeded, and California lifted the requirement for zero-emissions vehicles, General Motors immediately ceased production and had all of the prototypes of the world's first electric car shredded.
Now, the company is re-introducing an electric vehicle -- but this one includes a gasoline motor that will automatically switch on after forty miles of driving.
When asked about the reason for ceasing production of the EV-1, Denise Gray, the Director of Hybrid Systems for General Motors, didn't have a lot of answers:
- KBOO