Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006) October 23, 2007
Posted by gproject in : Recently Viewed , trackbackDirected by: Chris Paine
With environmental issues creeping into the headlines ever more over the past few years, it’s no surprise that campaigners are utilising all varieties of media to get their message across. Be it CO2 emissions, natural resources, or energy conservation – there are newspaper articles, internet sites, forums, and TV programmes all dedicated to the subject. Despite this, it would take Al Gore’s shock-tactic production An Inconvenient Truth to prove that there’s an audience for this kind of material in cinemas and demonstrate that the issue-lead film documentary can still be a powerful force.
This film takes some of the issues from An Inconvenient Truth [review], but distils the subject matter down to one very defined topic: the electric car. Or more accurately, finding out who is responsible for the massive failure of electric cars leased in the late ‘90s. The most interesting point that the documentary makes up-front is that electric cars are not something distant or futuristic, but actually a product of the present day – if only available for a limited time. There’s no reason to doubt the existence of these models, as we are introduced to a variety of them throughout the course of the story.
Laid out in a simple way, the film opens by explaining the history of electric and alternative vehicles, right up to the point where GM is ready to release its own, first-of-its-kind, electric car: the EV1. From here, the documentary explores the take-up, expansion and subsequent destruction of the EV1 fleet, talking to industry and GM representatives, EV1 project team members, electric car owners, and even some heavily dedicated EV1 ex-drivers and protestors. The second half of the film concentrates on lining up the suspects, from oil companies to consumers, in order to answer the central question – who killed the electric car?
Obviously, there’s no single blame to be placed here, but even with the documentary’s obvious siding with the EV1 supporters (there’s a sequence where a funeral is held for the car – it’s partly a joke, although one person does cry), the film still manages to prove some interesting points about how development was sidelined and how the political influence of car manufacturers has clearly had an effect in what is still touted as a ‘lack of public interest’.
From a technical standpoint the documentary is well put together; the interviews are well shot, the editing keeps things moving and it’s a well judged length at just over 90-minutes. There’s little to complain about except to say that the subject matter itself may not be so interesting to those who aren’t quite as into their cars – not because it’s a car enthusiasts film, but because it’s not an environmental film. I think it wants to be, and the subject of car emissions is naturally a focus for some contributors, but really it’s about the group of people – EV1 supporters – who decided that what GM were trying to do by pulling the cars off the road, was wrong. These people loved their cars, and they would do anything to fight for their existence.
It might sound strange, but if you watch the film I think you’ll understand what I mean. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing to link the topic to a more human story, although I fear that this particular example may be slightly difficult for people to relate to. Overall it’s still an interesting piece of work that highlights plenty of the political issues surrounding alternative fuels, as well as the way large manufacturers can be self serving, even when they want to be seen as doing the right thing. If you enjoyed previous business-focussed documentaries such as The Smartest Guys In The Room, or The Corporation, then this comes recommended.
Comments»
The reasons for the failure of ALL of the Evs made during the 1990’s, by GM (EV-1) Toyota (Rav4 Electric) and Honda (EV) can be explained in one word : batteries. You don’t have to weave a convulted and implausible tale of companies going to great lengths to build something nobody even asked for and then killing it so they wouldn’t ask for it again.
Without a practical battery - one that can be recharged in minutes, last for more than a decade and/or cost very little, you can’t build a successful electric car. With such a battery , ANYBODY can build a successful electric car. Slow witted 7 year olds know exactly what killed the EV-1 : high price tag ($43,000), a relatively small (and varying) driving range of 75 to 115 miles (depending) that couldn’t guarantee to get you to a destination a mere 35 miles away and back home (assuming you actually knew how far away that destination was) , a 6 to 8 recharge time that GM customers complained was totally rearranging their famility schedule, a $21,000 battery pack that lasted about 5 years, making the EV-1 the most expensive ride this side of an M1 main battle tank, a cramped two person interior space but very heavy (1200 pounds) battery pack, and the absoluete necessity to own another car, one that used gasoline, to get all those places the EV-1 couldn’t take you, and carry more than two small adults. The EV-1 met the needs of practically no one and was an economic absurdity.
The 90’s EV failures WERE due to one word: MONEY. Its a story simple enough for a slow witted 7 yr old. Big companies dont want to lose money, which is what car manufacturers and the oil industry would do if consumers had the choice to pay less for parts and gas. But lets address your battery argument:
GM made the 97 Impact prototype with lead-acid batteries sitting in a poorly ventilated T-shape design. When they made the EV1, they upgraded to NiMH, but (intentionally?) failed to redesign the placement, resulting in the need for an expensive cooling system that stole power during operation. GM delayed the release due to these “cooling issues” but was finally forced to release it in 2000, and I cant find any reports that those battery packs ever failed (its said they would last the life of the car, and then you can actually sell the packs because their Ni is worth something). GM said the cars would go 115mi/charge, but people who drove them documented 160, and it took only 1 hour to charge 60% of that. I can imagine doing that during lunch, if I worked more than 80 miles away from home, which I can’t imagine (most people drive
Watched “Who Killed the Electric Car” recently, great documentary, yay for progress!
I noticed some similarities between the oil industry and the tobacco industry: They both exploit people’s addictions (nicotine in tobacco, the convenience of gas). Also, both industries have stifled better alternatives (not smoking is healthier than smoking, not using gas pollutes less). People have successfully resisted tobacco companies…