Popular Mechanics - Most Important Cars of the Last Century
Popular Mechanics has put together a list of the most important cars of the last century. After looking to see which car got the nod for the year I was born (Subaru Brat) and checking to see if my favorite gas car made the list (1948 Tucker, and yes it’s on the list), it was time to search for electric cars. First up is the 1920 Detroit Electric.
Sadly the GM EV1 didn’t make their list, nor did any of the other California ZEV electrics from the late 90s/early 00s. So next up on the list for our purposes, is the 2001 Toyota Prius, which ushered in the the era of hybrids.
The author refers to the first Prius as a hatchback, however, it was a sedan. All Prius since then have been hatchbacks, but not the first generation.
The 2010 Toyota Prius gets a mention because it was eventually offered with a plug-in hybrid option. Not nearly as much range as the current Prius Prime, but it was one of very few options when it debuted.
Now we’re getting in to an exciting time for the electric car on their list! Starting with first generation Volt, which I used to own, and followed by a short list of cars that I’d like to own!
What do you think of their list? I would have included the GM Impact Concept, the GM EV1, the Honda EV Plus, and the factory S-10 and Ranger conversions from the ZEV mandate era.
