By Jordan Grim • October 30, 2025 • 06:11 AM (PDT)
By Jordan Grim • October 30, 2025 • 06:11 AM (PDT)
One of the approximately 40 surviving EV1s reportedly recently sold for $104,000.
General Motors’ EV1 is considered the first mass-produced, purpose-built electric vehicle, although it was never produced in large numbers. In fact, just over 1,100 were made across two generations, and very few of them exist today.
Given the car’s significance in the history of EVs, as well as its rarity, it’s perhaps not surprising that it attracted a lot of attention when it came to market this week.
However, nobody would have expected it to sell for $104,000. For comparison, that’s more than a brand-new Tesla Cybertruck.
GM never actually sold the EV1, but only leased it to customers. When it controversially decided to end the project, it took the cars back from customers and crushed them. The company is believed to have kept around 40 cars. While some are in private hands, most were donated to universities and museums.
The car in question is a 1997 model that was listed for sale through Peak Auto Auctions in Atlanta after being towed. Very few details were provided about it, but it’s clear that it had been sitting outside for a long time, and both the windshield and front side window are broken.
Should it be saved? An investigation by The Autopian revealed that the car had been declared abandoned by the Clark Atlanta University Public Safety Agency, which may explain how it ended up here.
It is believed to be VIN V212 and was originally delivered to Arizona. According to GM Authority reports, at one point, it set an unofficial altitude record for an EV1, reaching 10,500 feet.
An investigation by The Autopian revealed that the car had been declared abandoned by the Clark Atlanta University Public Safety Agency, which may explain how it ended up here. It is believed to be VIN V212 and was originally delivered to Arizona. According to GM Authority reports, at one point it set an unofficial altitude record for an EV1, reaching 10,500 feet.