As you may be aware, the government has put forward a proposal to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars starting in 2030. However, the issue with this initiative is that it appears to be largely based on evaluating only one aspect of a vehicle’s lifecycle: its exhaust emissions.
Electric cars, naturally, produce zero exhaust emissions, which is a significant benefit, especially for improving air quality in urban areas. But when taking a broader perspective that includes the manufacturing process, the situation shifts considerably.
Ahead of the Cop26 climate conference held in Glasgow in 2021, Volvo published data indicating that greenhouse gas emissions from producing an electric car are nearly 70% higher than those from manufacturing a petrol-powered vehicle. Why is that the case?
The main concern stems from the lithium-ion batteries that currently power nearly all electric vehicles. These batteries are extremely heavy, their production requires vast amounts of energy, and their lifespan is estimated to be just over a decade.
Given these factors, it seems counterintuitive to rely on this particular technology as the primary solution in the automotive industry’s efforts to combat climate change.
1. GM EV1
The EV1 stands as the ultimate symbol of failed electric cars. General Motors poured an enormous amount of money into its development, only to lose money on every unit produced.
Fewer than 1,200 ever reached customers at a time when Chevrolet alone was effortlessly selling half a million pickup trucks annually. Today, it’s frequently cited in ‘worst electric cars’ lists as an easy target.
What makes its fate even more unfortunate is that the EV1 was actually an impressive vehicle. With its lightweight construction, premium materials, and forward-thinking technology, it developed a cult following among its owners.
And when we say cult following, we mean it so devoted were its customers that they staged protests, with some even facing arrest, in an attempt to stop GM from reclaiming and destroying nearly all of the EV1s ever made.
2. Ford Focus Electric
One of the many theories behind the EV1’s failure was its futuristic design. Critics argued that if it had simply looked like a conventional car and had a spacious rear seat it might have been a success. However, that argument falls apart when you consider the Ford Focus Electric.
Unlike the EV1, the Focus Electric was just a regular Ford Focus (which is rarely a bad thing), except you never had to visit a freezing petrol station forecourt (which is never a bad thing).
It was available in Britain from 2013 to 2018, and yet, in all that time, Ford UK managed to sell… none.
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3. Mitsubishi i-MiEV / Citroën C-Zero / Peugeot iOn
Can the i-MiEV and its rebadged European counterparts really be considered failures?
After all, more than 50,000 units found buyers, and it even holds a Guinness World Record as the first electric car to surpass 10,000 sales. By all accounts, it was a true pioneer in the EV world.
And yet, being a pioneer doesn’t always guarantee a successful legacy something that history has proven time and again.
Without diving too deep into comparisons (especially considering that the era in question makes Deadwood seem like Disney), let’s examine how a car that achieved so many firsts still ended up falling short.
The reason is straightforward. The i-MiEV solidified the perception of electric cars as mere novelties quirky, oddly designed city cars that sacrificed style in favor of virtue-signaling.
It took the full force of the Tesla Model S—along with countless YouTube drag races to finally change that perception.
4. Honda EV Plus
Let’s be honest delving into the full history of California’s Zero Emissions mandate from the 1990s would take more time than you likely care to spend and more strain on our wrists than we’re willing to endure.
Suffice it to say that many footnotes in EV history can be traced back to a piece of legislation from the California Air Resources Board.
With that in mind, it’s easy to dismiss cars like Honda’s EV Plus as mere compliance vehicles, designed to take advantage of regulatory incentives while avoiding penalties.
But that would overlook just how much effort goes into designing and engineering a car and just how significant a deterrent that legislative stick really was.
After all, losing access to the massive Californian market was a serious threat. And when Honda commits its engineering prowess to building a straightforward city car, that’s about where our skepticism starts to fade. Yes, even cynicism has its limits.
5. Zagato Zele
The phrase “ahead of the curve” has a positive connotation, doesn’t it? It suggests innovation, leading the way, and venturing into territories beyond the common understanding of the masses.
And that’s all well and good unless, of course, you actually need those masses to embrace your idea. If they don’t… well, there’s a reason we also use the phrase “ahead of its time”.
Which brings us to the Zagato Zele, an all-electric microcar that made its public debut at the 1972 Geneva Motor Show. And if that doesn’t immediately strike you as significant, take a moment to look up “1973 Oil Crisis”. We’ll wait.
A tiny electric car, capable of running for mere pennies a day, and available for purchase in 1973 it sounds like the perfect car for its time, doesn’t it?
But that’s the trouble with relying on logic. Humans are fickle, chemically driven creatures who often make decisions with all the rationality of a David Lynch film. The Zele was absolutely the right car for the moment. And, naturally, almost no one bought one.
6. Lucas Electric Taxi
Ever heard the joke about Lucas electrics? Of course you have. Lucas the company that invented the short circuit.
Lucas three-position light switches offering your choice of dim, flicker, or off. Lucas vacuum cleaners the only Lucas product that doesn’t suck. And so on.
Frankly, these jokes are as worn out as we are from hearing them. We’ve had firsthand experience with Lucas electrics in an old Alfa Romeo, and, ironically, they were the one thing that didn’t fail.
As far as we can tell, Lucas earned its bad reputation largely because British Leyland used its components. And there’s no surer way to doom a brand than to be associated with BL.
But before we slip into another round of overplayed British Leyland jokes, let’s talk about the taxi. It had a city range of 100 miles and a top speed of 60 mph not that it would ever reach that speed, because… well, London.
Once the battery was depleted, it could be swapped out at a garage, depot, or even a taxi rank in the time it took to light a Chesterfield and glance at a Page Three girl.
And just like that, another 100 miles of travel was ready to go though, naturally, not to anywhere south of the river. And with that, we’ve completed the trifecta of tired London jokes.
Ultimately, the project never took off for a now-obvious reason no one willing to put money behind it saw any financial viability in an electric taxi at the time. So, Lucas scrapped the idea. Funny how times change, isn’t it?
7. Renault Fluence ZE
A 100-mile range… a swappable battery… fully electric. Did Renault somehow get its hands on Lucas’ old notes?
Maybe but at least Renault actually brought it to market. Was it particularly desirable? Not really. Was it a four-door French sedan, a tough sell even in the best of times? Well, yes. Did its name bear an unfortunate resemblance to effluent? Absolutely.
But none of these factors delivered the final blow to the rather uninspiring (sorry) Fluence. That honor went to Renault’s battery leasing scheme an innovative attempt to lower the upfront cost of EV ownership, a challenge that remains relevant today.
The problem? The company managing those leases went bust, taking the whole idea down with it.
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8. Nissan Altra
We’re willing to wager a solid 100 internet points that you’ve never heard of the Altra. Yet, it holds the distinction of being the first production electric car to use lithium-ion batteries.
Nissan took the lessons learned from its development and years of real-world use to eventually bring us the… well, Leaf.
Alright, fair enough the Nissan Leaf isn’t exactly anyone’s idea of an adrenaline-pumping ride.
And the Altra? Let’s just say it had all the excitement of a sleep aid with headlights. But neither of those facts explain why you’ve likely never heard of it.
That’s because Nissan never actually planned to sell the Altra to the public. The sky-high cost of lithium-ion batteries at the time meant the project was more of an advanced engineering exercise.
A few hundred units were built, but instead of hitting showroom floors, they were handed out to Nissan employees, utility companies, and local councils for testing.
None of that really screams failure, does it? Don’t worry we haven’t forgotten. One key lesson Nissan took from the Altra was that any future EV needed to stand out and be instantly recognizable as electric. And thus, we got the first-gen Nissan Leaf’s design. Yeesh.
9. Lightning GT
The concept was brilliant a grand touring sports car in the spirit of Aston Martin and Jaguar, but without the exhaust fumes… or the risk of waking your wife when slipping back home from a late-night rendezvous at your pied-à-terre. Yes, we know our audience.
Anyway, the Lightning GT made a splash in London in 2008, then turned heads again in Geneva in 2009. By 2010, prototypes were in the works, followed by testing and reliability trials from 2011 to 2013.
The car magazines raved, Wired ran glowing features, and everything seemed to be on track. And then… well, things got murky.
The British Motor Museum states it has “one of two Lightning GTs ever made” and refers to the company in the past tense.
Yet, intriguingly, someone is still maintaining Lightning’s website, speaking of the GT and the company as if they’re active. Of course, if we had any money tied up in it, we’d be more than a little concerned about how things are going.