Who Killed the Electric Car?
In 1996, electric cars began to appear on roads all over California. They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust and ran without gasoline… Ten years later, these cars were destroyed.
Beginning with a funeral ceremony for the electric car, director Paine’s documentary goes on to present the evidence in this murder case. In the mid-90s, the electric car looked like it was going to replace the traditional, gasoline-driven vehicles. But that never happened; the oil and car companies had little interest in it and made sure the new cars were destroyed, but Mr. Paine also blames the consumers who never seemed to take them seriously. Viewers should never forget that the director is highly partisan (expect jabs at President Bush and the hydrogen car), but he’s telling a very interesting story and asks important questions about why there is still a relatively low interest in getting rid of the dependence on oil.
2006-U.S. 90 min. Color. Produced by Jessie Deeter. Directed by Chris Paine. Voice of Martin Sheen.
Trivia: Several Hollywood celebrities make appearances, including Mel Gibson, Phyllis Diller and Ed Begley, Jr.
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patrick writes:
Watched “Who Killed the Electric Car” recently (great documentary), then i heard that GM and Tesla are making another run at the electric car (yay for progress!) hopefully development of this technology can go on unhindered by the corporations that depend on oil consumption.