Chevrolet S-10 EV
The Chevrolet S-10 Electric was an American electric-powered vehicle built by Chevrolet. It was introduced in 1997, becoming the world's first electric pickup truck from the original manufacturer, updated in 1998, and then discontinued. It was an OEM BEV variant of Chevrolet's S-10 pickup truck. The S-10 Electric was solely powered by electricity and was marketed primarily to utility fleet customers.
Design
started with a regular-cab, short-box S-10 pickup, with a base-level trim package plus a half-tonneau cover.In place of a typical inline four cylinder or V-6 internal combustion engine, the electric S-10 EV was equipped with an three-phase, liquid-cooled AC induction motor, based on GM's EV1 electric coupe. The EV1 had a 100kW motor; GM reduced the S-10 EV's motor output because of the additional weight and drag of the truck so as not to overstress the batteries.
Because the S-10 EV shared its major powertrain components with the GM EV1, it used a front wheel drive configuration, as opposed to the rear wheel drive configuration of the gasoline-powered S-10. Its closest competitor, the electric Ford Ranger EV was also rear wheel drive.
Batteries
Similar to the Gen 1 EV1's, there were lead acid battery and nickel–metal hydride battery options. The 1997 Chevrolet S-10 EV used a lead acid battery pack. Manufactured by Delco Electronics, the battery pack consisted of 27 cells, with one being designated as an "auxiliary" cell. These reportedly offered 16.2 kilowatt-hours for propulsion. In 1998, an Ovonic nickel–metal hydride battery pack was also available; these batteries were lighter and had a combined 29 kilowatt-hours of storage for a longer range. NiMH also has longer life but costs more than the lead acid option. The battery pack was located between the frame rails, beneath the pickup bed. On all battery types, a passive battery monitoring and management system was used; this meant that excess energy was wasted from cells with a higher charge, while the remainder of the cells reach the same state of charge.Charging
The S-10 EV charges using the Magne Charger, produced by the General Motors subsidiary Delco Electronics. The inductive charging paddle is the model J1773 or the 'large' paddle. The small paddle can also be used with an adapter to properly seat it. The standard charger is a 240V 30A ; there is also a 120V 15A 'convenience' charger, and a high-power fast-charge version. The vehicle's charging port is accessed by flipping the front license plate frame downwards. The system is designed to be safe even when used in the rain.Efficiency
Depending on the load and driving conditions the range can vary greatly: For the 1997 model with lead-acid battery pack, city range was ; the mixed city/highway range was ; the highway range was if operating constantly at or less. The acceleration time was listed as 13.5 seconds.Like the EV1, the top speed of the S-10 EV was governed, albeit to, less than its coupe sibling.
The performance is much better for the 1998 model year with the nickel–metal hydride battery, at an approximately range and an acceleration time of 10.9 seconds at 50% charge.
- 1997 MY GM S-10 EV lead acid:
- 1998 MY GM S10 EV lead acid: , and .
- 1998 MY GM S10 EV NiMH: , and .
- 1997 MY GM S10 EV lead acid:
- 1998 MY GM S10 EV NiMH:
Instruments
Additional features
The S-10 EV was developed from the base version of the gasoline-powered S10, and included similar standard equipment. Standard equipment for the S-10 EV included an AM-FM stereo radio with two door-mounted speakers, air conditioning, a vinyl-and-cloth-trimmed bench seat, and dual airbags. For colder climates, a fuel-fired heater was standard, which is similar to an engine block heater, and runs on diesel fuel from a tank positioned where the gasoline tank would normally be, with a small exhaust behind the spare wheel. The heater will operate when ambient temperature falls below.Because battery performance varies greatly with temperature, the heat pump supplies cooling to the batteries during charging when necessary. Passive air recirculation is used during the driving cycle to equalize variations in battery temperature. The heat pump can be activated during the driving cycle under extreme battery over-temperature conditions over, typically as a result of extreme battery discharge.
History
The S-10 EV was preceded by at least two commercially marketed S-10 electric vehicle conversions performed by third parties:- Solectria Corporation E-10
- U.S. Electricar Pickup
1998 updates
Sales
Unlike the EV1, of the 492 S-10 EVs assembled about 60 were sold to fleet customers, rather than just leased through restrictive programs, mostly due to the prior Department of Transportation crashworthiness evaluations done on stock S-10 pickups. As a result, a few Electric S-10s can still be found in use today. The fleet life of many of these ended in 2007 and 2008. The vehicles that were not sold were eventually scrapped, similar to the fate of their EV1 siblings. The white S-10 EVs can be seen mixed into the stacks of crushed EV1s in aerial shots toward the end of "Who Killed The Electric Car", most easily identified by their white color, and black half-tonneau covers.The purpose of the vehicle, though, was primarily to explore the potential of electric trucks early in the history of electric vehicles: