Chevrolet S-10 Electric

In the mid-1990s, hot off the debut of its EV1 electric car—surely it’d be a winner!—General Motors turned its attention to electrifying the commercial-vehicle segment. Thus was born the most curious S-10 compact pickup in history, the 1997 S-10 Electric.



Its 16.2-kWh battery pack has less than half the 40.0-kWh capacity as Nissan’s entry-level 2018 Leaf. With lead-acid chemistry, the same as most cars’ 12-volt batteries and a far cry from the more power-dense lithium-ion construction favored by today’s EVs, the weak battery pack weighed more than 1300 pounds. It was recharged via a fairly high-tech inductive-charging “paddle” inserted into the S-10’s mouth; per Chevrolet, “the sealed, weatherproof charging paddle lacks metal-to-metal contact and allows for safe recharging in any weather.”



Weirder still? To save weight and make room for that juice, Chevrolet chucked the rear drive axle and driveshaft and converted the S-10 Electric to front-wheel drive. A 114-hp three-phase, liquid-cooled AC motor towed the S-10 Electric to 50 mph in a claimed 13.5 seconds and to a top speed of 70 mph. Chevrolet pegged driving range at 40 to 60 miles; federal testing returned 47 miles. The S-10 is the rare EV that was claimed to be more efficient at highway speeds (45 miles of range) than around town (40 miles of range). —Alexander Stoklosa