This is my old car: Acura NSX. Cost: $100,000
This is my new car:  EV1. Cost: $400/month.

Hi. My name is Steve Kirsch. I'm a successful computer entrepreneur. 

I've had my NSX for a year. It is a terrific car. Great styling, great handling, great reliability. Billionaire computer entrepreneur Larry Ellison, traded in his Ferrari for an NSX, and he's been so pleased he now owns 3 NSX’s. Most of the other super rich guys I know prefer the NSX. So do most of the car magazines.

I bought my NSX because electric cars weren't available at the time in my area.

Now they are. And the world will never be the same.

In May 1998, I became one of the first owners of an EV1 in Northern California.

Forget what you think about what an electric car must be like. Let me tell you what it is really like…

First, the EV1 is an amazing feat of engineering. It is the first and only fully electric production car built in the world in the last 50 years (check this?).

Like to accelerate fast? This car is fast. It's so fast, it's easy to burn rubber in this car if you are not careful. 

Like to race? You'll love this car because you'll always win… by a mile. In 2 seconds, you'll be seeing your competition in your rear view mirror. I don't care if they are driving a $250,000 Ferrari or the latest Porsche. The reason is simple: this car has full torque at 0 rpm. And there is no shifting to slow you down either. This car can literally go from 0 to 180 mph in first gear. But don't get too excited… the one you'll buy at your Saturn dealer has a limiter on it so you can only go around 80 mph. But that's not so bad. You save money on those speeding tickets you won't get. And it keeps you from traveling at a dangerous speed and possibly killing yourself.

The biggest downside is that the car goes around 130 miles between recharges. A full recharge takes 5 hours. 

I've found this is perfectly adequate for my commuting needs. I can go from home to office and back for a week without recharging. While you can't get rid of your gas guzzler entirely, for most times, you'll find yourself choosing to drive your electric car. Once a month, I run the gas car to keep the parts lubricated.

It's quiet. Not totally silent (we also own an electric Toyota RAV4... it's the quietest EV on the planet and it's nearly silent). There's a bit of a whir sound. My kids think it sounds a bit like a spaceship. Looks like one too, from the shape of it. And the center dash with all the controls is futuristic looking too. Very cool.

It's slick. Aerodynamically, it's the slickest car ever produced. Lower wind drag means more mileage.

My wife loves this car because it's so fun to drive, it looks cool, it's clean (no gas fumes to breathe), and because it zips when she puts her foot on the gas. She loves to zip downtown to do errands. Invariably, when she comes out of the store to return home, a crowd has gathered outside the car.

My two kids (ages 2 and 4) love this car. In fact, it's everyone's favorite car of the 4 cars we own (our other two cars are a BMW and a Mercedes). My older daughter says she likes it because it is like riding in a spaceship.

Single? See someone you'd like to meet? Just offer to let them drive your electric car. It's an offer no one can refuse. 

Do you crave attention? You'll get stares. Lots of them. Of course, you'll wonder whether they are staring at your car, or the babe driving it. Trust me, they are staring at the car.

You'll never need gas or oil. No more smell or mess. Or wait for an oil change. This car is as maintenance free as it gets. You should rotate the tires every 5,000 miles. That's about it.

You'll never need to steam clean your engine again (well, not that you do anyway). Everything is as clean under the hood as the day you bought the car.

Ever run out of gas? Not with this car. You can never run out of gas since there isn't any. And you can "fill ‘er up" anywhere! Literally, you can plug in the portable charger (that stows in the trunk) anywhere there is an electrical outlet. It's like having a gas pump on every street corner.

Not enough trunk space? This car has great trunk space. Lots more than my NSX.

Ever drive off with the parking brake still set? Never again. This car is smart enough to release the parking brake when you shift into gear. And to automatically set it when you shift into park.

This car has a new way to brake. On the shift lever, you can press a button that slows you down by turning the engine into an electric generator. So you charge your batteries as you slow down. Use this properly and you can extend your driving range by an extra few miles. 

Ever lose you keys? Lock your keys in your car? It'll never happen with this car. There are no keys to enter or start the car. Everything is by code. You just punch in a code to unlock the door, and a code (could be the same code) to "enable" the car. Then press the run button, shift into gear, and drive away. 

Ever had your car stolen? Can't happen with this car. Now I will admit that while in theory, your EV1 could be stolen, it's hard to imagine this happening. First of all, there is no market for the parts. Second is that you'd need to know the right code to turn on the car. And lastly, even if they crack your code and start the car, they won't be able to get very far. 

This car has been super reliable. I've only had one problem with it, and it wasn't with the car. It was with the charger. The cord didn't retract properly. I called Saturn and within 1 hour, they had dispatched someone to fix the problem. No charge. And they came to me. In 1 hour. Is that incredible service or what?

My wife and I fight over who gets to drive this car. But I always let my wife win since she lets me drive the car to work everyday.

Like to have fun? You can have a lot of fun in this car you can't do in any other car. For laughs, my wife and pull into the "full service" bay at gas stations and ask the attendant to "fill ‘er up." We crack up as the attendant tries to find the gas tank. When he finally asks where it is, we nonchalantly reply "it's on the left of the car" and let him take another crack at it. Eventually, the attendant asks "hey, what kind of car is this anyway?" When we tell him, we are promptly told to "get out of here." As the EV1 becomes better known, this gag is going to be tougher to pull, so if you want to do this, you should get your car now!

Like to be the center of attention? People like my NSX. "Cool car," they say. But I've never seen anything like the attention I've gotten driving the EV1. Thumbs up from drivers and bicyclists. Literally. When I give talks and I mention I drive an electric car, the audience applauds. You know… Kind of like the same way the electrical appliances applaud when the EV1 rolls into town on those cute EV1 TV commercials.

Like to be able to park in the best spot at work all the time? Preferred parking comes free with this car. I usually arrive at work after 9 am when all the really good parking spots are gone. It is contrary to our company values to provide executive perks like reserved parking. But since the company wants to incentivize employees to do the right thing environmentally, the company installed an EV1 charger right in front of the front door. And guess who is the first one to take advantage of this? You got it. Me. I call it "Politically correct preferred parking."

Like to be safe? The EV1 and all EVs have to pass the 
same safety standards and crash testing as all other cars (the FMVSS, or Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards).  In fact an independent testing lab said that EVs are probably safer than gasoline cars because they are not carrying a lot of flammable liquid (gasoline), and have a lower center of gravity to prevent flipping over (i.e. battery weight lower in the vehicle).  Most other hazards deemed equal.

Ever wonder what things you can do personally to contribute to cleaning up the environment? This could be the one thing that you do. Even when you consider the environmental impact of generating the electricity used by this car, the car is still the cleanest automobile you can drive by a long shot. And it is a lot cheaper to not pollute the environment in the first place than to donate money to clean it up!

The EV1 isn't perfect. I miss the leather steering wheel on my NSX. And I think they put the accessory outlet (for car phones, etc.) in the wrong place. Other than that, I couldn't be happier.

You'll feel good driving this car, knowing that you are doing the right thing for our environment to preserve it for future generations, like your kids. And you'll have fun driving it. Sure for longer trips you'll want to keep around that old gas guzzler. But for everyday use, this is the car you're going to want to drive. 

For more info, see the GM EV1 site.

Misc reasons:

• 100% NON POLLUTING (we buy our electricity from Green Mountain)
• You'll be doing something really terrific: setting an example that it's cool and practical to clean up our air and reduce global warming and our dependence on fossil fuels
• MUCH better acceleration than a gas car
• Drive solo in the HOV lanes legally
• Two seater
• $3K per year tax credit
• Park for free in any San Jose Muni parking lot (this is about to pass)
• Special reserved parking at SFO (includes free fill up)
• Reserved parking and free fill ups at Frys, Costco, etc.
• Never have to stop at a gas station
• Never needs any maintenance, oil changes, etc.
• 80 mph top speed; 120 mi range on a full charge
• recharge at work/home/ or both
• people will give you "thumbs up" all the time... you'll feel good about driving this car
• Never lose your car keys since the whole thing is keyless. Impossible to lock yourself out or lose your keys.
• Plug in your cell phone and talk FOREVER
• Insulated from price of gas, supporting OPEC
• No gas fumes/smell/spills
• Safer in an accident than a gas car because it can't explode or catch fire

Links
Steve Kirsch home page
Kirsch charitable giving home page

Some of our causes
Reforming politics
Supporting the CTBT
How we plan to clean up the air in California
Reforming public education
Hair loss research
Privatizing government