GM’s Experimental EV from 1969

Electricity is the once and future drivetrain for automobiles, but until the advent of lithium batteries their capabilities were somewhat modest. One EV blip on the automotive timeline is the …. The 60s saw many interesting experiments in the automobile space, and both GM and AMC were evaluating the possibilities of a return to electric cars for short journeys.

GM wasn’t set on a particular drivetrain for their new experimental commuter cars, so the XP 512 became a trio with conventional, hybrid, and electric variants. Each car was a two seater with a fiberglass body and steel chassis. The canopy could lift and a small door in the front swung to the side for access to the cockpit.

Some images from the time show the car without the canopy and just the rollbar, giving you a very small convertible (83″/2108 mm long). Lead acid was the only viable traction battery until the 1990s, so the 1,250 lb vehicle was limited to a top speed of 30 mph and a range of 50 miles.