The Car that Could [Hardcover]

Michael Shnayerson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 30, 1998

Unprecedented secrecy surrounded the early development of General Motors's Impact. Shnayerson watched the story unfold from a position of access never granted a reporter before--literally from the inside of the pace-setting GM Impact program. This is the first book to penetrate the silence surrounding GM's risky and successful decision to become the world's first mass producer of the electric car.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The story of General Motors' first mass-produced electric car, the EV1 (at first, unfortunately, named the Impact). This project was decades in gestation, the early dreams of pollution and noise-free vehicles taking a long time to progress beyond visionary prototypes. This was partly because of opposition to the concept from oil companies and the automotive industry. Eventually a combination of government prodding and technological advances in battery design made it possible. Schnayerson describes the supportive role of GM chairman Robert Stempel and the tenacity of a group of true-believing engineers who kept the idea alive after Stempel was ousted. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Hailed as the first practical electric passenger car, General Motors' Impact faces an uncertain future, with doubts about whether a market will materialize for a high-priced auto with significantly limited range and few recharging options. The sleek, small, battery-powered aluminum prototype, which runs silently with no engine or tailpipe, owes its existence to ex-GM chairman Roger Smith, who on Earth Day 1990 publicly declared that GM would mass-produce an electric vehicle (EV). He then resigned. When his successor, Robert Stempel, was replaced in 1992, the Impact development team of engineers was significantly downsized, and the project seemed dead. Secret talks initiated by the Impact team with Ford and Chrysler to consider an EV consortium led instead to GM's renewed commitment to the project, which was kept under wraps. Shnayerson, a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, recreates a remarkable, inspiring saga of glitches, unexpected setbacks, power struggles and ingenuity, and in doing so he tells how GM, once stagnant, resistant to technological change and battered by foreign rivals, staged a comeback. Photos. Author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing (June 30, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517328127
• ISBN-13: 978-0517328125
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,475,046 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gen II NiMH EV1 can do 150+ miles/charge 0-60mph in 8 sec., January 5, 2002

By 

Mike Thompson "Electric Vehicle RAV4-EV (sola... (San Jose, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Car That Could: The Inside Story of GM's Revolutionary Electric Vehicle (Hardcover)

...Reading this book is all
the more interesting whe you realize how well the Gen II EV1
with improved batteries works. An impressive work by GM and Michael Schnayerson in covering it so well.

Unfortunately, the initial Delco/Delphi batteries in the first generation EV1 underdelivered and weren't very reliable.

The Gen II EV1 changed all that once they got decent batteries. The new High-capacity lead-acid battery pack is 55 to 95 miles per charge by GM specification. Some drivers achieve over 100 miles on these daramatically improved lead acid batteries. ...

Thanks for your time!
[e-mail]

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Now the rest of the story. . ., February 20, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Car That Could: The Inside Story of GM's Revolutionary Electric Vehicle (Hardcover)

Michael Schnayerson's chronicle of the building of this car is more important in pre-war 2003 than ever before. The designers, engineers and builders are real heros,producing real solutions when we need them most. Their story should be told everywhere.
I've driven the EV1 for the past five years and I'm here to say that it worked. Michael, if you're out there, consider writing the sequel. The story continues with global consequences...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best informative book I've ever read., November 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Car That Could: The Inside Story of GM's Revolutionary Electric Vehicle (Hardcover)

This book was one of the best informational books I've ever read. Usually, I'm interested in novels with tons of action, however, I had to do a thesis for school, which ended up being on New Methods of Non-Pollutant Transportation. I assumed that this book, like most informational books would be extremely boring. However, having read it, it seems so much like a novel, with a plot, protagonists, antagonists, etc. It's very much like a novel. I've never read anything like this before, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to read a great success story.