The documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car" is not, as one might expect, about the electric cars of the environmentally conscious 1970s. Those earlier cars had limited speeds, limited range and were often small, funny-looking little contraptions that drivers might hesitate to take on a highway.
No, "Who Killed The Electric Car" is about the EV1 (Electric Vehicle) cars General Motors started offering to consumers in 1996. These sleek, sporty cars were capable of going 0 to 60 mph in less than nine seconds and the prototype set a land speed record of 183 mph.
The range of the cars with the battery GM chose was 50-90 miles - the average person drives about 30 miles a day - but batteries were available with a range of about 120 miles. At night, it took about three hours and cost about $3 to plug in and recharge the battery. No tail pipe emissions and no gas station needed. Sounds good, huh?
GM produced the EV cars to meet California's new mileage standards. The car set the standard and was so awesome, according to its drivers, that Ford, Toyot, and Honda all scrambled to meet the challenge of the GM car. Toyota's gas-electric hybrid, the Prius, was part of its effort to meet the GM challenge.
So where did the EVs on the road go and why are they no longer sold? Now, with high demand for hybrid cars, Toyota is the leading car manufacturer, with GM lagging behind.
With gas prices hovering around $3 a gallon and rumors of $4 a gallon, wouldn't it be nice to have the option to buy an electric car?
"Who Killed The Electric Car?" answers these questions and takes viewers down the rabbit hole of what happened to the electric cars. With a combination of interviews with former EV car drivers, car sales people, auto engineers and industry and government experts on all sides of the issues, this entertaining and enlightening film unravels the mystery and history of the electric car.
The answers to these questions might make your jaw drop and likely leave you steamed, whether your priority is saving money, addressing global warming or even having more choices in the marketplace. Filmmaker Chris Paine leased an EV1 himself and fell in love with the car that GM would not let him buy.
While clearly a fan of the EV1 cars, Paine still makes a compelling case and lets all sides speak. Pro-EV1 interviewees include former members of the Reagan and Carter administrations.
"Who Killed The Electric Car?" is a real eye-opener about controlling consumer choice, market manipulation, planned obsolescence, politics, consumer shortsightedness and, yes, oil company interests and power. The losers are the consumers and the planet, but ironically, it may also be GM, which seems to be losing the competitive race to Toyota and Honda hybrids, in the consumer shift away from gas-guzzling Hummers towards more economical cars in the face of soaring gas prices. That EV car might be looking really good right now.
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