Daihatsu EV1

At the 1973 Tokyo Motor Show five Japanese manufacturers joined forces to create a full lineup of electric vehicles, from compact city cars to large buses.

The project began in 1971, when Japan’s Agency of Industrial Science and Technology launched a five-year program with a ¥5 million budget.

AIST operated under MITI, the powerful Ministry of International Trade and Industry that shaped much of Japan’s early automotive progress. The plan called for five major automakers to develop five different electric vehicles, designated EV1 through EV5.

Daihatsu’s entry, the EV1, wasn’t even its first attempt at an electric car — the company had already built several EV concepts.

Drawing on that experience and its deep familiarity with kei cars, Daihatsu created a sporty rear-wheel-drive coupe with seating for four.

Each rear wheel was driven by its own 45-volt, 5.6 kW electric motor, while four 96-volt lead-acid batteries were mounted in a rear compartment beneath the back seats and cargo area.

The EV1 could reach a top speed of around 80 km/h, and if driven steadily at 40 km/h it could manage a range of roughly 130 to 150 kilometers thanks to regenerative braking. The whole package weighed 912 kilograms.