It’s May 1969 at the General Motors Technical Center in Warren, Michigan. Company leaders are gathered to drive proposals for efficient commuter cars, including the 512 Electric – a microcar with removable canopy and lead acid batteries that goes 58 miles…at 25 mph.

Three decades later, GM introduced the Impact concept that became the EV1, the first modern electric car, leased through Saturn retailers 1996-1999. Initially powered by lead-acid batteries with 90 miles range, it eventually employed nickel-metal-hydride cells for 120 miles. It cost $70,000 inflation-adjusted.

I drove one as a co-op student. It was fast, smooth and a vision of today.

Controversially, most of the EV1s were crushed after lease conclusion with remaining ones decommissioned in museums and research institutions. One was recently purchased at auction with its restoration chronicled on YouTube at The Questionable Garage. Instead of suing, GM offered parts and expertise.

What does that car mean to GM?

“An awful lot,” said Mark Reuss, President, General Motors. “When we followed up the GM Impact concept, which my dad [former GM President Lloyd Reuss] introduced, with the production EV1, it was far beyond what anyone actually thought we would do. It was way ahead of its time, from its extensive use of adhesives in the body structure to its ultra-low rolling resistance tires to its inductive charging. It was one of the most aerodynamically efficient vehicles ever. It really laid the groundwork for what we have for EVs in high volume today.”

GM’s next EV was the affordable 259-mile 2017 Chevy Bolt packing the lithium-ion batteries EV1s always deserved. By then, Tesla dominated the segment.

For 2021, Hummer joined the Bolt as an EV brand under GMC that debuted Ultium batteries. What was the strategy of those extremes?

“Having the extremes was the strategy,” Reuss said. “We came out of the gate showing the wide range, and vast potential, of what EVs could be. Most people did not equate an EV with a vehicle that could truly wear a Hummer badge. At the other end, the original Chevy Bolt showed we were also adept at building more conventional, efficient and affordable EVs.”

GM’s 2026 EV line-up starts with the $35,000 Chevy Equinox, $45,000 Blazer and $56,000 Silverado EVs. Top Silverados have 478 miles range, tow 12,500 lbs. and run 0-60 under 4.5 seconds. GMC Sierra EVs add luxury for $62,400. Hummer pickups and SUVs cost $97,200.

Or, choose Cadillac EV crossovers: Compact Optiq from $51,000, mid-size Lyriq above $59,200 or three-row Vistiq around $77,000. Go glam with the Escalade IQ from $127,405 or bespoke $400,000 Celestiq sedan.

Fan-favorite Chevy Bolt returns for 2027 with Ultium batteries to deliver 262 miles range, 25-minutes fast charging and available hands-off Super Cruise starting at $27,600.

Why does that broad range matter?

“EVs cannot be buttoned into one segment, or body style, or price range,” Reuss said. “We are intensely focused on the customer…and different customers have different wants and needs. Just as Alfred Sloan’s GM envisioned a vehicle for every purse and purpose, we believe EVs can fulfill customer needs in the broadest range of segments.”

The Chevy Bolt is winning awards because it’s affordable, stylish, and roomy with improved range and fast-charging. Cadillac’s LYRIQ and VISTIQ each won German Luxury Car of the Year. Those EVs are drawing new customers to Cadillac – and to GM as a whole.

“I’m a sucker for design,” said Sean Tucker, Managing Editor, Cox Automotive. “The Cadillac Optiq has a truly interesting cabin full of contrasting textures. It’s also a bargain for something in that class. My least favorite would be the Silverado EV/Sierra EV twins. All trucks, no matter their fuel source, lose about half their range with towing.”

As GM posts wins, it faces challenges.

Data from Cox Automotive during the first half of 2026 puts the Tesla Model Y (163,454 units) and Model 3 (66,616) at the top of the “10 best-selling” EVs list. The Chevy Equinox EV (16,249) hits #5 while the Cadillac Lyriq takes #10 (7,578 units).

“The Hummer, Cadillac Escalade EV and similar six-figure products are incredibly impressive,” Tucker said. “What they’re not is common in your neighborhood. EVs should be about affordability. They use a cheaper fuel and need less maintenance. If you pursued real economies of scale to get the price down, you might be able to compete with the RAV4 and CR-V.”

Given the slowdown in EV sales due to tariffs and reduced incentives, why does GM continue to invest?

“We’re a global company,” Reuss said. “One of every four vehicles sold around the world is an EV. That number is only going to rise. We continue to develop our future EVs and work on reducing battery costs, and when the U.S. market is ready for EVs in large numbers, we will be too.”

In short, GM needs EVs.

“According to the International Energy Agency, 25% of cars sold globally last year were electric,” Tucker said. “In the U.S., it’s hovering around 6%. How do you run an automaker that hopes to compete both inside and outside the US. when developing new cars is incredibly expensive?”

GM has two major advantages: Massively profitable gas-powered trucks to underwrite EV investments and research facilities in Warren, Michigan.

“All of our facilities, taken together, mean that, on a single campus, we can move from exploring new chemistries in our R&D labs, to proving them in full-size prototype cells that you’d find in an EV or energy storage system at the Wallace Battery Cell Innovation Center, to validating them for industrial scale at our new Battery Cell Development Center.”

“Before we did any of it, we sat down as a leadership team and discussed – then decided on – new things that an automotive company needs to be great at doing,” Reuss continued. “Batteries, chemistry, and controls/software are part of our competitive DNA.”

Looking to the future, GM recently unveiled stunningly beautiful concepts for an electric Corvette, gullwinged Cadillac all-terrain coupe and mid-size Hummer.

More practically, gaps include full-size Chevrolet and GMC companions to the Cadillac Escalade IQ/IQL. Compact models seem important – especially with Ford’s $30,000 EVs imminent. And, where is Buick, which offers Electra EVs in China? They would drive beautifully on American roads.

Storm Forward!

Casey Williams is an Indianapolis-based automotive journalist who can be reached at AutoCasey@aol.com and on YouTube @AutoCasey.