3: Chevy Volt
After all the controversy that General Motors went through four decades before destroying the EV1, the Volt was big news. It was the first all-electric vehicle that was going to be mass-produced by GM. Undoubtedly, Tesla ruffled some feathers at GM, as the company didn’t expect EVs to take off as they did. The Volt was a reasonable-looking car with a comfortable interior and decent driving range but buyers weren’t too interested in it (via Shift).
There were a few incarnations of the Volt, and ultimately the model was discontinued from the market. There was a lot to like about the Volt, but consumers didn’t gravitate toward the car. But the Volt was important because it showed that GM could build a full-electric vehicle and bring it to mass production. Nowadays, there are a few notable EV models that have come out of GM, and it all stems from the original release of the Volt.