Electric cars are nothing new. In fact, some of the earliest cars were battery-powered EVs. Despite being around for more than 100 years, this drivetrain design has only recently been able to compete with internal combustion models, leaving a legacy of aborted efforts and less-than-realistic concepts that enjoyed a brief moment of glory or notoriety before fading into history.
Here are 10 classic EVs you probably didn’t know existed.
Toyota RAV4 EV
Toyota may currently only have one all-electric platform in its lineup, but it was once intent on producing battery-powered versions of its most popular models, and was even willing to partner with potential competitors to make it happen.
Two different versions of the Toyota RAV4 EV are produced. The first models arrived in the late 1990s, and just under 1,500 modified SUVs were leased (mostly in California). At full gallop it reached almost 130 miles per hour and had a range of 95 miles on a single battery.
The second edition was much more advanced thanks to borrowing the entire electric drivetrain from Tesla. The larger RAV4 EV, also the California version, shaved nearly 12 seconds off the original’s 0-60 mph time and still managed to record a range of 163 miles on a single charge. Approximately 2,500 units were manufactured.
Chrysler TEVan
Another electrified version of an iconic vehicle, the Chrysler TEVan takes the traditional upright platform of the Town & Country minivan and equips it with a 65-horsepower electric motor. Manufactured from 1993 to 1995, the TEVan was built in partnership with an organization called the Electric Power Research Institute and could travel nearly 80 miles before needing to be plugged in.
This modest range means Chrysler has delivered just over 50 TEVans to utility companies who can use them for short-range missions rather than private customers. You probably had to be a major power company to afford this minivan’s eye-popping $120,000 price tag. Several of these vehicles, the predecessor to the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV, ended up in the hands of private owners and are still in operation today.
bradley gt electric
Bradley Automotive is best known for taking the modest Volkswagen Beetle platform and giving it affordable fiberglass bodywork, gullwing doors, and an aerodynamic stance that suggests more straight-line ability than perhaps its eco-minded engine would suggest.
An interesting detour from this popular formula was the Bradley GT Electric, a battery-powered version of the company’s standard kit, introduced in 1980 during a period of turmoil for the 10-year-old company that saw it go bankrupt. It’s hard to understand why Mr. Bradley thought the best way to restore profitability was to drive a kitted out boutique EV, but that was the course laid out by the brand’s upper management.
To that end, the GT Electric (also known as the GTE) featured a total output of 96 volts, allowing drivers to cruise with half the power and extend range. The 125 mph top speed was of interest to the 50 or so buyers who took a chance on the GT Electric.
Unique mobility Electrek
The oil crisis of the 1970s convinced many entrepreneurs that electric cars might be a good antidote to Detroit’s gasoline consumers, no matter how immature the battery technology was at the time. Unique Mobility is the company that tested these waters with a very ’70s, slightly homely EV called the Electrek, made of fiberglass that combines the visual elegance of an AMC Pacer with the subtle luxury of a Ford Mustang II.
Styling aside, Unique Mobility pioneered a number of interesting design decisions, including the creation of a “battery spine” that ran through the center of the vehicle (similar to the T-shaped battery pack later adopted by the Chevrolet Volt). With a range of 160 miles available to drivers who can control their lead foot (i.e. less than 40 mph), the Electrek was sold from 1979 to 1982, during which time approximately 50 were produced.
Volkswagen T2 Electric Transporter
Another energy crisis gimmick, the Volkswagen T2 Electric Transporter, was more than just an experiment by the German automaker to see if there was a way to make its popular buses even slower and more dangerous to drive on America’s highways. At its heart were experiments with Varta, Bosch and RWE, each involved in implanting a 22 horsepower electric motor in place of the van’s petrol unit.
Like the Electrek, the T2 Electric Transporter chooses a non-standard method to manage its battery pack, in this case integrating a lead-acid battery unit directly into the floor of the vehicle. With a range of about 45 miles on a single charge, each T2’s power pack weighed more than an entire VW Beetle. Approximately 120 EV vans were built, paving the way for the electric Golf hatchback just a few years later.
City car/commuter car
Not all EVs of the ’70s had grandiose goals. The Comuta-Car, as its name suggests, was intended to fill the gap for city dwellers who don’t want to ride bikes but need something more versatile than public transport. Resembling a square wedge on wheels, the Comuta-Car was built on the bones of the CitiCar. But given its Florida origins, it may not be surprising that the company that manufactured golf carts used them as a spiritual starting point.
The small CitiCar was available with a choice of 2.5, 3.5, or 6 horsepower engines and was perfect for slow-speed cruising around the countryside. Eventually, a more sophisticated Comuta-Car appeared, but it never had more power than six horses and had a range of about 40 miles when driven at less than the EV’s top speed of 40 mph. Production lasted from 1977 to 1979, and a small number of 12-horsepower city vans and mail commuter vans were also built using longer-wheelbase versions of the Mini machines.
Photo: Mecum Auction
ford ranger ev
Starting in 1998, Ford produced an electric version of its popular Ranger light pickup truck. Customers could lease a version of the Ranger for four years with rear-wheel drive, a reasonable level of equipment, and a single electric motor delivering 90 horsepower.
If the driver is careful, they can squeeze up to 115 miles of range from the car’s modest power pack, but at highway speeds that range is cut by nearly half. Most of the leased trucks were destroyed at the end of the term, but a small number of the original 1,500 models survive to this day.
Chevrolet S-10 Electric
In fact, Chevrolet beat Ford to the punch with EV pickups with its own S-10 Electric in 1997. The Chevrolet, also a compact truck, was slightly more powerful (114 horsepower) when it debuted, but had a much shorter range (up to 45 miles). The transition from lead-acid batteries to a nickel-metal hydride design doubled the range per charge the following year.
General Motors packed the battery pack under the bed, but the pickup’s payload capacity was not affected. The S-10 Electric was a bit better known, having competed in Pikes Peak, and it used much the same running gear as the iconic EV-1 electric car released around the same time.
Mercedes-Benz 190 E Electro
Mercedes-Benz introduced a battery-powered version of its entry-level sedan, the 190 E, in 1991. Originally intended as a concept car, the vehicle was produced in limited quantities and used as part of a multi-make test on the German island of Rügen, alongside entries from BMW, VW and Opel.
The electrified 190 E was available in several versions, including one with a pair of electric motors (one for each rear wheel), one with a manual transmission, and one with a direct drive and multiple battery design. The project lasted a full four years, and the owners racked up significant mileage on several testers before handing over 10 experimental cars to Mercedes-Benz.
honda ev plus
You’ve probably heard of the aforementioned GM EV-1. This was the subject of a popular documentary titled “Who Killed the Electric Car?” Supposedly, the Honda EV Plus is a small urban hatchback that was leased for the California market around the same time as the EV-1.
The EV Plus could travel about 100 miles on a single charge if the owner was careful and had 66 horsepower. Torque was quite impressive at over 200 lb-ft. Honda built approximately 300 cars starting in 1997, but none remain to this day after being recalled by the manufacturer (either destroyed or used as a testbed for next-generation technology).
10 classic EVs you didn’t know existed
- Toyota RAV4 EV
- Chrysler TEVan
- bradley gt electric
- Unique mobility Electrek
- Volkswagen T2 Electric Transporter
- City car/commuter car
- ford ranger ev
- Chevrolet S-10 Electric
- Mercedes-Benz 190 E Electro
- honda ev plus
Photo by MotorTrend Archive
