Who Killed the Electric Car?

I have never thought much about electric cars or EV’s.  Living in Tennessee had never allowed the EV to seem like a reality. But in the current state of the world, terrorism and the majority of the oil we as a nation depend on are both centered in the Middle East. When I saw the title Who Killed the Electric Car? for rent, I’ll be honest my first reaction was to be cautious, I wanted alternatives, but not a lecture on how it’s all Bush’s fault. I decided the movie had to be worth watching when I heard “100 years ago there were more electric cars on the road than gas powered cars.” If we have had this technology that long then why didn’t it prosper?

When I sat down to watch the movie recently, I was impressed. Chris Paine, the director, laid out an informative and entertaining documentary. Prior to watching the movie, I had been under the impression that electric cars were not only rare, but so limited that the vast majority of American’s would not be able to use them. Mr. Paine used interviews with celebrities such as Mel Gibson, who had owned an EV, to defend the car.

As one person stated at the “funeral” held for the EV, “It’s true that the electric car has limitations, and that it’s not for everyone. The truth is that it will only work for about 90% of the population.” They go even further in explain advances made in the batteries that would increase their charge time.

After laying out the case for the viability of the cars, Mr. Paine uses a murder trial form to try the suspects. Was it the batteries, the consumers, the car companies, the oil companies, the national and local government, or even another alternative car—the hydrogen car? Each suspect gets time and arguments are made against or for them as they deserve. There were shocking visuals of car companies actually crushing brand new EV’s rather than sell them to people that were literally standing vigil outside the companies building, begging the company to sell the cars to them.  Then in a later interview with the company spokesman, he claims that none of the cars will be crushed.

At the end of the movie, Mr. Paine goes through the suspects and pronounces them guilty or not guilty, then finally leaves his audience with hope, by showing new advances that are being made, the plug-in hybrid for example is the next generation hybrid. It uses a connector that allows it to be charged using a regular outlet, and then get up to 125 mpg.

I enjoyed this movie. I became aware of technology I never knew existed. While I may still not agree with everything the environmental lobby says, I do agree that less pollution is good, and that anything that will make us less dependent on foreign oil must be considered for the safety of our country.

Purchase Who Killed the Electric Car?.

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