Electric cars are the wave of the future, as most auto companies are rolling out new models of EVs. The first mass-produced electric car was the GM EV1, available for lease only from 1996 to 1999. It was ahead of its time, and the program was discontinued when GM determined it would not be profitable. But late last year, a 1993 electric Corvette was discovered at a salvage yard in Illinois, along with the documentation stating that it was made by Motorola. Motorola made a car?
Kevin Williams of The Drive was intrigued, and researched the previously-unknown story of the 1993 EV. It started with two Motorola engineers who thought the company could be a pioneer in the electric vehicle business. But they had to prove it, so they built a car for the 1993 Arizona Public Service Solar and Electric 500 competition- which they won. That gave them the credibility to approach Motorola management about a concept car for the company. But that was just the beginning. Read the incredible three-part saga of how the the Corvette EV came about, and why we aren't driving them today at The Drive, part one, part two, and part three.