Until 1 January 1996, it seemed as if three mighty powers - American science, General Motors and the State of California - would bring about the most momentous change in personal transport since the carriage went horseless. Now, it seems, 'Ev1' (Electric Vehicle One, or the 'electric turkey' as critics have unkindly called it) may join the De Lorean, cold fusion and Clive Sinclair's C5 self-propelled sitz-bath in the technology junkyard.

LRB 21 August 1997 | PDF Download