GM almost launched a miniature EV in 1969
Historically, General Motors has already had some successful, but also some bizarre attempts at electrification. The 1996 GM EV1, for example, was one of the first mass-produced electric cars from a major car manufacturer. According to GM, the 2010 Chevrolet Volt was the first commercially available plug-in hybrid in the USA. The small electric city runabout XP 512E, which did not make it beyond study status around 1970, was less successful. Nevertheless, General Motors has now published an article on the tiny electric car, primarily to emphasise its pioneering status in electric drive systems.
The 512E – officially known as the 512 Electric Experimental – debuted in May 1969 at a GM exhibition for innovative vehicles called ‘Progress of Power’. The E-mini had a wheelbase of 52 inches, an overall length of 86.3 inches and was only 56 inches wide. Converted to 2.19 x 1.42 metres with a wheelbase of 1.32 metres. The body was made of fibreglass and sat on a steel floor pan – all in all, the concept car weighed 567 kilos. “With a lightweight 84-volt lead acid battery pack and a DC electric motor mounted on the rear axle, the 512E could travel up to 58 miles at 25 mph, or 47 miles at its top speed of 30 mph. It could accelerate from 0-30mph in a sluggish 12 seconds. This was no speed demon,” explains GM. In other words, the compact EV could travel around 93 kilometres at 40 kph and up to 76 kilometres at 48 kph. It accelerated from 0 to 30 kph in a long twelve seconds. Not a bad track record for the time.
The 512E could be charged at a typical 115-volt household socket at the time, which took around seven hours. In addition to the main battery, the electric speedster also had a 12-volt battery to power a heater with defroster, the headlights and tail lights, the indicators, the windscreen wipers and the horn.
In cab scooter style, the soft top of the 512E could be swivelled open and the low access door at the front of the vehicle could be opened. The model offered space for two passengers on a bench seat, where a normal accelerator lever and brake, a steering wheel and even an ashtray awaited them. The 512E was designed so that it could be driven with the soft top up when the weather was fine. The soft top was also completely removable, so that the 512E could be transformed into a small electric roadster.
The innovation was one of three 512 city car concepts unveiled by GM at the 1969 Progress of Power at the Warren Technical Centre in Michigan. The other two included a petrol-powered roadster model and an early plug-in hybrid that could be operated either purely electrically or in hybrid mode. The latter could travel up to 150 miles (around 240 km) on a full tank and battery, consuming just three gallons of petrol – or 11.4 litres – according to the manufacturer’s specifications.
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