Electric vehicles haven’t just been a 21st-century revelation – in fact, the Chevy S-10 EV pickup way back to a ’90s experiment, and despite being axed, this Indiana man saved three.
Chevy pickups are an American staple, known for power, reliability, and affordability.
However, General Motors nearly became Tesla 20 years before the EV company became the global force it is today.
In a bid to capitalize on electric vehicles, the Chevy S-10 Electric pickup was born – most were scrapped, but three survived.
Mainstay American muscle and pickup brands have made some quite controversial steps toward the EV future.
Dodge specifically has faced flak for their synthetic charger.
But back in the 1990s, General Motors tried to set the trend and make Chevrolet EVs, starting with a pickup.
The Chevy S-10 Electric was an experiment to test the new technology, as GM attempted to make a greener pickup that had everything that made the truck so popular.
But only 492 were ever made, and GM scrapped 432 of them, leaving just 60 out in the world.
One man – Keith Dillman from Indiana – took to a Facebook group to show that he owned three of the remaining Chevy S10 EVs.
“This is the first time I’ve had all 3 EV S10s together. Makes them seem not so rare now,” Dillman said.
The pickups don’t run, though, as all three of the batteries have died.
However, the trio owner revealed that he hopes to find new lithium ion batteries to power the trucks this year.
The S-10 electric pickups originally used lead acid batteries, but they’re prone to short life cycles, long charging times, and shorter ranges than their lithium counterparts.
Dillman also revealed that his Chevy S-10 EV pickups were numbers 42, 107, and 145 off the production line. He acquired his first back in December 2019, and has since continued to add to his portfolio.
The S-10 Electric was GMs joint-first battery-powered car to leave the production line, alongside the EV1, even if they were later scrapped.
Strictly speaking, EVs date back to the 1820s with electric-powered carriages, and even early 1900s cars ran on batteries.
But GM has always tried to lead the way in electric vehicles, starting in 1966 with the Electrovair concept and the 1969 512 Electric Experimental.
Still, these relics are quite a joy to behold, and we’d love to see them up and running again soon.
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