Behind the wheel of the EV1, the new electric car I'm about to test-drive, I instinctively reach for the key to start the engine. But there is no key (you enter a numeric code to open the door, enter another to start it, then press the Run button), and the engine is already going - it's just so quiet that I've forgotten it's on. I look at the cockpit-like dash and check the battery status on the horizontal LED readout: nine-tenths power remaining. A fully charged battery lasts an average of 70 miles in the city and 90 miles on the highway.
Aerodynamic in the extreme, General Motors's EV1 is the first mass-produced electric car. Though it's strictly a two-seater, this is no souped-up golf cart - it comes equipped with AM/FM, cassette and CD, and a pair of cup holders. With its tapered lines (9 inches wider at the front than the back), the car looks like a modern version of the early '70s Citroën SM.
I reach for the gearshift on the center console and switch from Park to Drive. Cautiously, I signal to pull away from the curb. When the traffic clears I punch the gas, um, electricity; despite a weight of about 3,000 pounds - 1,200 of which is from the 26 batteries - the EV1 burns rubber. The 137 horses under the hood (there are no plugs or wires) get me zipping from 0 to 60 in less than 9 seconds. There's no shifting of gears, just a quiet, jetlike hum that increases in pitch with acceleration. The tires are custom-made Michelins that hold 50 pounds per square inch rather than the standard 30. The EV1 runs so smoothly that it feels almost friction-free, though of course it isn't. You can also switch on the coast-down control, which gives a little charge back to the batteries and slows the car a bit.
After 15 minutes cruising, I pull the EV1 back into the lot, right up to the pump. I slip the electric paddle into the mail-slot-sized port on the front of the hood to recharge. Having seen those television commercials of household electric appliances racing out the front door to greet the new EV1, I brought my PowerBook along for the ride. I know it must be proud - but I'm afraid my toaster oven and desk lamp will be jealous when we get home.
EV1: US$33,995 (three-year lease only; no buy option). General Motors: (800) 253 5328, on the Web at www.gmev.com/.
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