GM Is Helping an Owner Restore One of Its Own EV1s — by Parting Out Another One
GM sacrificed a second, never-leased EV1 to supply parts for "Project V212," and is targeting the car's 30th anniversary for completion.
Most surviving GM EV1s were famously crushed after the company ended its lease-only EV program in the early 2000s. This green example, VIN212, escaped that fate and turned up in derelict condition at a tow yard — where new owner Billy Caruso bought it for roughly $104,000. Jared Pink, host of the YouTube channel Questionable Garage, is documenting the restoration under the nickname "Project V212."
"Seeing a company as big as GM so excited about the project is amazing." — Jared Pink, Questionable Garage
The parts problem for an EV1 restoration is close to unsolvable through normal channels — most were destroyed at decommissioning, and GM never intended for any of them to need long-term support. GM's own solution was blunt: the company sacrificed a second EV1 it still owned, VIN159, which had never been leased or donated, as a parts donor — supplying a windshield, rear quarter window, brake torque control module, junction boxes, and a door mirror switch panel.
GM President Mark Reuss personally took interest in the project, inviting Caruso's team to the company's Technical Center and connecting them with engineers who worked on the original 1990s EV1 program. "The level of support offered has been unbelievable," Pink said. "Seeing a company as big as GM so excited about the project is amazing." The team is targeting November 14, 2026 — the 30th anniversary of the EV1's first drive in 1996 — for completion, though battery sourcing remains an open problem and California registration was still in progress as of this reporting.
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