Who killed it then?

[pugmanic]

Might be a pee roast...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsJAlrYjGz8

Anyone seen this one?

[pugmanic]

Even better, looks like this is the film in episodes...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=39K36...x=0&playnext=1

[Bicycle Bob]

Yes, I saw it a couple of years ago.

[bgd73]

the c.a.r.b stuff is interesting. As crazy as EGR backfired, there is also realms of success..only to be buried by big corporate blunders. As if noone noticed the 3cyl geo still getting restored today, or the beetle with the frictionless perfect four banger, and 3 main subes, and synchros..it is not just the electric engine killed. there is real physics in the stoich world that were killed.
the 3 main boxer is by far the most dramatic loss in ICE history.

I associate c.a.r.b with carb (carburator). Carb standard is the winner..not the california one. I always thought of it as a panic, manic half thrown together group without enough science to stand up..with that label, stuff that was truly good got killed anyway.

[dcb]

Seriously, carburetors are defenseless against fuel injection in terms of precisely metering fuel. Yah you don't need as big a fuel pump with a carb but that is it as far as carburetor advantages go (and more pressure of FI means better atomization). FI beats carbs silly in every way, unless you are worried about a nearby nuclear electromagnetic pulse or something.

Edit, and electronic ignition would not be happy with an EMP either, not sure about points ignition though.

[MadisonMPG]

Wasn't the first car electric?

[order99]

The very first car was a Steamer I believe-though I suppose you could call it a motorcycle on a technicality since it was a three-wheeler...

Also, it caused the first recorded auto accident, hitting a wall at about 5MPH.

The History of the Automobile - Steam Cars

The first EV seems to follow roughly 60 years or so later, in Scotland.

[Ryland]

The most common response I get when I take my Electric Car to public events is "I thought all of these were recalled and you couldn't get electric cars" yes, the death of the electric car is all in your head, they are real, they are out there and you can have one if you want.

GM made around 1,100 of the EV1 and they never sold them, just leased, they also made around the same number of the Chevy S10 (E10?) in a full electric using the same technology as the EV1, some of those were recalled but a vast number of them are still out there with a handful being for sale at any given point in time.
Ford also made an electric Ford Ranger, they are still out there as well, people are buying them, selling them, using them.
Tesla Motors has sold over 1,700 of their roadster... sold, not leased, already outselling the GM EV1 at a price less then GM said it cost them to make their EV1!
There were around 7,000-8,000 C-Cars (Seabring Vangard Citi-Car and Commuter Vehicles Commuti-Car) sold, not leased, between 1975 and 1982.
So just because a handful of electric vehicles that were never sold are no longer out there people think that they can't have an electric car! if that is the case then why do I have two?

[Christopher Jordan]

Maybe 3 or 4 '93 City-el EVs are hanging in there. That company failed at least twice from 1989 I think, but at least one was still "alive" today. Tomorrow- who knows!