Who Killed the Electric Car?
Created June 1, 2006, at 11:44 am by Anonymous
For those who are interested in gaining a better understanding about the demise of my former car: The General Motors EV1, the ultimate hybrid:
I highly recommend that you see the new movie "Who Killed the Electric Car" being released by Sony Classic Pictures. It is opening in a few cities this month and will follow elsewhere soon.
I saw a draft cut of WKtEC at the Sundance Film Festival and highly recommend it for anyone who:
- likes cars
- likes fast cars
- likes efficient cars
- likes cars that are efficient AND fast
- likes clean air
- drives (whether you like it or not)
- hates war
- likes alternative energy
- hates to go to the gas station
- hates getting their car serviced
- loves hybrids
- hates hybrids
- loves Michigan
- hates Michigan
or:
- cares if other people do any of the above
It shows a lot of actual footage of the EV1 and other production electric vehicles that were built and then destroyed by all the major auto manufacturers. In an interesting way, it discusses why these vehicles were killed and why we need or don't need them from perspectives ranging from Enviromentalists, car enthusiasts, liberals, conservatives, to an ex-CIA director.
From this movie, you will get a better understanding of why we get such pathetic performance (MPG and acceleration) from today's hybrids. You'll be able to understand why there are so few hybrid options available (no sunroofs, mini-vans, wagons, convertibles, diesel hybrids, sports cars, etc) and why there are so few models available from US or European manufacturers.
The following is the list of opening locations that I took from another list:
-------------------------------------------
"Who Killed the Electric Car" www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com
June 28
New York:
- Angelika
Los Angeles:
- Arclight,
- NuWilshire,
- AMC Ontario,
June 30
- Regal Edwards South Coast (Costa Mesa)
- Laemmle Pasadena
- Laemmle Town Center (Encino)
July 7
Chicago:
- Pipers
- Renaissance
- CineArts Evanston
If you see this, let us all know what you think.
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Just saw the poster for this movie at my local theatre, and have been reading up on the film. Will go and see it this month. Thanks for the link.
My husband and I have attended Sundance a few times with various projects, but we missed this year. My apologies again, Ex EV1 driver, for the misunderstanding regarding the Rav 4 EV on another thread. I really didn't have a CLUE about the issues of electronic cars, and the systematic destruction of this technology.
What's terrific about this board is that we can learn from each other...and let people know about the options available to us. Appreciate all of your input.
I will never be able to go to see the film, cause i'm in Spain. But i'm amazing. We are being ripped off by governments, petro companies... it would be fantastic use a electric car, isn't it?
Congratulations to us citizens that have lots of possibilities with ethanol, biodiesel... Enjoy it
It's not only eletric cars.... we all ripped by big corpporate and goverments by blocking our access to FREE and renewable energies. Yes, we can live in a modern electronic societies without burning fosil fuels or nuclear.
It's time for us to weak up and asking our goverment to take action for the sake of our coming generations.
Who Killed the Electric car is opening in a lot of cities this weekend. I highly recommend you see it. See www.whokilledtheelectriccar.com for locations where it is showing.
Sadly, I think the timing and order of events played a role. Electric cars seemed so "out there" when they were introduced, b/c plugging in was deemed "inconvenient."
Now, hybrids are everywhere, and we see they work and require no special actions (other than remembering where the heck the gas station is).
I think the next jump will be plug-in hybrids (especially if Toyta signs on to a fully-waranteed plug-in).
Get people to like that, and a fully electric car would be an easier sell.
Seen this on the Lou Dobbs show a while back and found the article to be very biased and misleading, California demanded electric cars, GM built them, But nobody wanted one, GM would build more if they could sell them and make a profit, There is no conspirancy here between big oil and Detroit, Lets get real.
Not true - when they "killed the electric car" they had a waiting list of over 5,000 people waiting for their cahnce to get one.
Big difference between hybrids and electric cars. The car companies actually allowed people to buy the hybrids. They never allowed anyone to buy their electric cars (with the exception of Toyota who did offer the RAV4EV for sale for a few months).
How can anyone believe a company that builds only a few cars to sell but doesn't actually sell them yet claims that no one would buy them?
Then, why would they arrest a couple of overly-passionate customers (when was the last time GM actually had any passionate customers?) for trying to save the cars?
You've all got to see the movie instead of just hearing (and regurgitating) GM's spin of the story.
Yes GM had a list of 5000 customers looking and of those only 50 willing to commit to a lease, That left 4950 customers who opted out.
GM spent over 1 billion dollars to develope the EV1 plus money to market and incintives to create a demand for the car yet only 800 cars were leased over a 4 year period.
So, How do you stay in business leasing 800 cars after a 1 billion dollar investment?
Facts are facts, The market did not want electric cars.
GM did this before
http://www.trainweb.org/mts/ctc/ctc06.html
An interesting EV link:
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2006/07/10/another-rav4-ev-sale-on-ebay-this-time-for-55-000/
BTW
ex-EV1 driver and everyone else can see a fully restored, working EV1 at http://www.hybridfest.com
Hybrid diesels, plug-in hybrids, technology demonstrations and everything hybrid automotive will be there.
Located next to the Madison County fair can be a whole family affair- so much to see and do.
I am happy GM did away with rail transport, If there is any truth to the web site Bjorn posted.
I would much rather drive to a destination than ride some dumb rail car that can't get me to the destination I want to get to.
How many people here that talk about public mass transit actually use it? In my home town I watch city busses drive all over town with little or no passengers on board. I guess that proves that given a chioce between cars and mass transit cars will always win
God bless GM
Dont know wher Chirs live, but here in NYC area
(where trains and subway survived GM) Despite
the transit system age it carries millions per day.
GM got rid of trains and replaced them with buses
that Chris dislike. Thats the point. If I could jump
on a train to work I would.
I read over the website with great interest until I got to the "What can I do?" section. Here, I found a perfect example of a major part of the problem. Their #1 suggestion: "Plant a tree."
While planting a tree would help reduce polution and make the arborists happy, it does absolutely nothing pertinent to the issue. It's so completely defeatist to suggest that the only thing you can do about a viable, yet surpressed technology is 'plant a tree.' They might as well say "There's nothing anyone can do." Are we (all) really prepared to accept that?
PS to the above message: "the website" that I was referring to was www whokilledtheelectriccar com
Wow, I missed that part. It is pretty lame (true but kind off topic). The second column and the rest of the site, however, are surprisingly good, especially for a movie company.
Bjorn
I live in a suburb west of Milwaukee, Milwaukee has been trying to pass light rail for the last 15 years and can't get it done, Good thing to
As for the busses you say I don't like you are correct, However, They make more sense than any rail system around. Busses can turn down any city street. They can also be redirected to other parts of the city when more busses are needed, Light rail can't do either of these, It can ride only on the tracks that are in place.
I have been to NYC and have rode the subway, NYC is a unique situation you have a large population in a small area making parking and traffic problems, You also have tons of taxi cabs.
So, what works for NYC is not good for areas that have lower populations in a large area like Milwaukee
So if GM killed rail transit and made money selling busses that is a good thing, Aint progress grand!
Did anybody happen to see what happened in India and Chicago yesterday, Sad situations both of them, Both happened on rail.
Plant a tree, I can accept that! Seems like the only logical thing that would come out of a web site or a movie that would slam the only car company that would give the writer of the movie the car he wanted.
Me, I'll stick with petrol fuels, they make the most sense, Atleast I can drive 600 miles on a tank with the TDI and not have to stop after 100 miles or so and plug it in
Kinda like that bus vs rail argument don't ya think?
Petrol cars make sense electric cars don't. God bless GM for pulling the plug.
Chris
I drive a TDI myself to work, but if there was a direct
train to JFK airport I would use it. If the train was
equipped with wireless internet it would be great.
I know the importance of having a car since I grew
up in the countryside. To bring in the trainbombing
in India as an argument not to use them is not a good
argument. Around 45000 people are killed on the roads
every year and most of them are victims to crazy
drivers (terrorists behind the wheel). It does not stop
you from driving does it? Good that you are driving a
diesel though since you dont have to worry about
being burned alive in a wreck.
"Buses can turn"? Didnt Chris know buses follow
a route? What is wrong with trolley buses and
train/trams. They are electrified following the same
routes. Electricity can come from non CO2 emmiting
nuclear plants.
Bjorn
I am well aware busses follow routes, My argument is bus routes can be changed and rail routes can't.
Milwaukee has many different ethnic festivals during the summer along the lakefront, The last one was summerfest, When these festivals go on many busses are redirected to various park and ride lots to shuttle people to the fest. rail can't do this it can only maintain the routes it has
Rail may work in your city, Busses make more sense here.
I see Chris...another point about Milwaukee...heard
on the news it is the city with the lowest accident rate
in the US. What do they different from NYC area where
many drives like maniacs?
Chris,
One of my big complaints about buses is that they can turn. They do that entirely too often in my experience to the point that it is impossible for a person who works for a living to take the time to try to figure out where the stops keep changing to. Train stations are on all maps, not just the latest bus map that has probably been changed within the past 6 months.
Buses also are way to slow to really get anywhere for real.
My take is that buses are really good at keeping poor people poor by slowly getting the underpaid hired help to the rich people's houses so they can do the cleaning but that's about where their utility ends. Real people who want to make real money (by getting where they need to when they need to) either take trains (that don't have to wait in traffic) or they drive. I'll challenge you to find 5 people who make more than 6 figures who take buses. Now do the same for cars and trains.
I currently live in LA, where GM purchased the majority of stock in the rail system, and then dismantled it. This is fact.
I love trains...just returned from Europe, where my family spent 3 weeks touring on a Eurail pass. Years ago, I used the BART system in the Bay Area to get to my job in San Francisco. Before that, used the subway in NYC.
I would much rather travel by subway or train...for ecological and economical reasons. I hate needing a car and being trapped on the 101 and 405 freeways (the major arteries through LA) My husband and I both drive hybrids now, since rail travel in LA is a distant hope. Buses here are infrequent and routes are spotty. Not an option.
Joan
I am there with you too. Besides GM and Goodyear illegally buying and ripping up rail lines throughout the USA, you can blame the government too. After the goverment deregulated the rail industry, the USA lost 2/3 of its millions of miles of railroad the companies deemed unprofitable. Now with a turn in the rail industry today, there are frequent "traffic jams" with frieght trains hogging up the track (ie=less railroad, more traffic), thus Amtrak can't introduce more service.
Bjorn
Don't know how we placed so good? My personal expirence with teen drivers and thier fender benders in this house would tell a different story:)
Maybe it has a lot to do with so much traffic in a small area where we would be more spread out over a larger area?
I believe we are just as agressive drivers as anybody, Speed limits on the freeway is 55 metro areas 65 suburban areas with people traveling 10 to 15 over in both areas.
EV1
I don't know 5 people making 6 figures that take the bus, But, I also don't know 5 people making 6 figures that would ride rail I do know that they all drive cars.
The bus system around here works pretty well, If you live in the suburbs they have the freeway fliers that take you downtown Milwaukee with no stops along the way if you live in Milwaukee and need to get to some of the suburbs they have nonstops for this also.
We do have a train that will take you to Chicago, I would consider this when I go there due to Chicago's traffic that is just a nightmare, Alot like NYC or San Francisco, Chicago also has rail to the city.
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