The movie begins with the procession of a funeral, there is a car covered with black cloth, and there is a eulogy for the vehicle. The funeral is for the electric car the EV1, a series of electric vehicles (EVs), of which the director of the film Chris Paine had also been a leasee. All of the cars were eventually rounded up from their users by the manufacturer General Motors (GM), then nearly all were crushed, except those that had their drive train deactivated. The film follows the car's history and ultimate demise.
From the funeral, it then flashes back in time and tells about how electric vehicles had become popular, and meet a similar fate in the early 1900's. It tells about how gasoline cars began to outsell, and eventually replace the electric cars. This is told through mostly retro-archival footage. It then goes on to discuss, that with the growing use of gas the pollution around cities also grew, with California being the worst state impacted with this process. There are interviews with members of the 'California Air Resource Board' (CARB). Next the medical, and global effects of having so much gasoline pollution, are also discussed. Several attempts at electric vehicles through the 1970's are shown, but the story of electric vehicles doesn't picks up the pace until General Motors (GM) wins the "World Solar Challenge" in 1987 with their Sunraycer, and begin to try design a mass market electric vehicle (EV), which results in the 'Impact' a prototype car, and leading to the 'for lease only' EV1.
Once the prototype car was shown off at the automotive shows, the CARB members decide to try and get a 'zero emissions' law passed, on the percentage of these vehicles that must be produced for California if the companies wished to sell other types of gasoline powered vehicles. This electric vehicle 'zero emissions' law passed into law in 1990.
The film then introduces the marketing and legal difficulties associated with electric vehicles. From this point onwards the story of Chelsea Sexton a EV1 marketing specialist for GM is told. As she attempts to get leasers for the cars and eventually becomes one of the coordinators of news about what is happening with the EV1. There are also the stories of EV1 drivers and their experiences, with interviews by Alexandra Paul, Peter Horton, Tom Hanks (news footage), Doug Korthof, Mel Gibson, Paul Scott, J. Karen Thomas and Colette Divine.
At this point several other concurrent EV's are shown such as the Ford Think EV, and Ford Ranger EV, Honda EV Plus, Toyota RAV4 EV, and the Nissan Altra EV (which appeared several years before their LEAF). As the EV's gain in popularity the story shifts to those people against EV's, by such as; companies funded by oil companies, groups resistant of having tax money paying for public chargers, and the car companies that were forced to make cars, and whom felt they wouldn't get as much return on their investment in EV's. This begin their efforts to create less of a demand for such cars, and trying to limit their zero emissions requirements. They next show several later advertisements for the EV1, one of which is similar to an image of the aftermath of a atomic bomb, with black shadows on the grown, and part of the car slightly seen off to the side of the image. Another prime example is a skeletal type scarecrow in a field looking at a road, and in the distance a small EV1.
As the resistance against EV's mounts a new environmental scientist named Alan C. Lloyd is appointed to be chairman of CARB, who at first wants the car companies to work harder, and later helps to release most restrictions on 'zero emissions', and gets the 'electric car' version of the law removed. The car companies began to sue the state with help from President George W. Bush, and his funds for 'research into hydrogen powered vehicles'.
They film then shows excerpts from the 2003 CARB debates that removed several restrictions from the law including the 'electric car' mandate, to allow time for additional research into hydrogen, and alternatively powered zero emissions cars. According to news footage in the film 10% of vehicles sold in California that year would have been required to be zero emissions until the law was changed.
As the restrictions were lowered the car companies began to gather up all their leased cars, and prevent the users from releasing the cars. As their cars begin to be taken away some the owners begin to organize and make protests against the removal of the EV's.
The film then returns to the opening EV1 funeral, this time with reminisces from various drivers. After the funeral the movie follows the last EV1 to be picked up from its Los Angles leaser in July 2004. The drivers of the cars then keep a lookout over the repossessed cars and try to find out the fate of cars, once the car companies have gotten them back. With a little research and the help of aerial photography they find that the cars have shipped to Arizona where they were being crushed. The same thing is then shown to be happening with nearly all other EV's as they follow several vehicle manufactures and their roles in removing and destroying the cars they once leased.
The EV drivers become activists and start the 'Don't Crush' campaign, to try and get the cars to be returned to the people, and for the manufactures to allow the cars to be sold outright. The film then shows an excerpt from the movie The "Naked Gun 2 1/2" with its scene of corporate businessmen in a meeting room discussing how "no one is ever going to know about them."
The film then switches from results to causes, in the style of a 'Mystery', or 'Who Dun It', it looks at the various possible reasons these early Electric Vehicles were taken away and scrapped. First they look at the customers and what their demands might be, and if most people even knew if EVs were available at the time. It then looks at batteries, their range and prices. It tells of Stan Ovshinsky and his battery development of NiMh (Nickel–metal hydride battery) batteries, and how he gets pushed to the side after having GM buy controlling interest in his batteries for EVs, then in the year 2000, four years before EV1's were taken off the road, GM sold controlling interest of the battery company to Texaco, an oil company. Oil companies are then investigated for any role in the death of these EVs. It then compares GM's buying up street trams then shutting them down, to oil companies doing something similar. From there it looks at the car companies themselves, their fighting the law requiring them to make zero emission vehicles, and their efforts to try reduce the demand for them. It discusses their worries over sales, and little service requirements needed for EV's. It then looks at the production of GM's Hummer a military style SUV (sport utility vehicle) that is one of the "biggest gas guzzlers there is" for which people could get Federal tax credit of up to $100,000 for a vehicle 6,000 ponds or heavier. While for EVs the same credit was $4,000. They next take a look at politicians and how government policies helped to kill off these EVs, and how some of the key people in making the decisions, also were involved in car and oil companies. The film then looks back at the federal governments attempts at conserving oil and gas, by improving fuel economy, and how imports of oil have increased, as many of the regulations on vehicles fuel economy were removed. The viewers are then reminded that it took law for seatbelts, catalytic converters, and other things, before car companies finally began to produce them in all of their vehicles. The film makers then return to examine the reason that CARB (California Air Resources Board) removed many of their restrictions, starting with Alan Lloyd their chairman, saying that he visited all the car companies, and they told him "we can't produce these increasing number of the battery electric vehicles". With Alan feeling that it wasn't their job 'to force a certain number of, type of technology on the road'. It is then revealed that he was also chairmen of the Fuel Cell Partnership. Lastly there is a look at the Hydrogen Fuel Cell to see if they could have been a reason that the EV programs were discontinued. Bill Reinert of Toyota USA then gives a demonstration of their Fuel Cell SUV. He tells how instead of refueling at home like in an EV, a driver would have to go to a specialty station to refuel the Hydrogen, and that there were no plans as to when the fuel cell vehicle would be on the market. It then lists 5 things that would need to be changed before fuel cell vehicles would become practical. (1.) It was $1,000,00 for a vehicle, (2.) Storage improvement, (3.) It was more expensive then gas, (4.) It needs new type of fueling stations, (5.) That competing technology would out improve their performance, before the Fuel Cell Vehicles come to market, it then compares them to hybrid cars with electric motors.
The film then returns to 2005 as the protesters stand outside the car lot and watch as the EV1s are loaded onto trucks to be taken away and crushed. Two of their team park in front of the driveway blocking the trucks as they try to leave, and are arrested. They do this hoping to raise awareness of Electric Vehicles, and let other people know about what GM and other companies were doing in crushing these cars.
As an epilogue Chelsea visits the Petersen Automotive Museum, where a deactivated EV1 is sitting in their collection. The film makers then give their judgments on who they think helped to kill the electric car. All suspects are found guilty except the batteries, in which section the tZero a prototype of what would eventually develop into the Tesla Roadster is shown. They then show what the various people are doing after losing their EVs, several of which help to start "Plug-In America' a electric vehicle advocacy group. Ovshinsky the engineer responsible for many of the batteries in EVs, is then shown to be the President of another company, and shows off flexible solar cells that could be used as roofing shingles, in his own words "Anybody who wants to make a revolution shouldn't grab a gun, just go and start working like we do, and change the world by using science and technology." As the movie ends the people being interviewed are still hopeful for the future of EV's, and several newer EVs are shown.
The films writer/director Chris Pain makes a cameo appearance when asking if they can see the cars when they were taken away and in the storage lot. He is the one with a baseball cap, and the black and red coat. Martin Sheen does a wonderful narration which seems to flow smoothly, rather then in some documentaries where it seems every few sentences they seem to pause and read text. Lastly the music fits the scenes well, and is a mix of instrumental mood music by Michael Brook at points, with occasional popular music selections from rock to jazz.
Besides the DVD, the movie is available for direct digital viewing at places such as Amazon, YouTube and ITunes for $9.99, along with other locations. The DVD offers additional features such as;
* "Deleted scenes" 9 and a half minutes of of interview outtakes. A video comparison, diagram of facts and charts asking "Are EVs Less Polluting?" nearly 2 minutes long. "Street Theater" footage of Ford Think EVs funeral event and news about Ford canceling the destruction, and shipping them back to Norway, while agreeing to sell the originally only leased Ranger EVs, nearly 2 and a half minutes. "Shooting the EV1" footage of the team of film makers capturing the EV1 going around a race track and it's later race with the Hummer. "Who Killed the Electric Street Car?" a two minute excerpt from the film "Heartbeat of America" documentary about when GM bought out, and removed the electric street rail cars, from the USA, and their being charged with 'criminal conspiracy'.
* Jump-Starting the Future, 15 minutes of Peter Horton, Chris Paine, Dean Devlin, Wally Rippel and others discussing their thoughts on EVs after the EV1, and options for people still wanting to get off of oil. Things such as; (1.) Conversions Greg 'Gadget' Abbott (who is seen much more in the second 'Electric Car' film discusses converting gas cars to electric. (2.) Hybrids cars that use gas engines and a electric motor. (3). Alternate Fuels, Joe Gersen discusses biodiesel, and ethanol. (4.) Neighborhood Electric Vehicles, Russell Sydney talks about such modes of transportation as scooters and electric bikes. (5.) Community Activism, Chelsea Sexton, Linda Nicholes of Plug-In America talk about how they want to help educate and promote use of EVs, their message is "Tell people what you want".
There are two other bonus features listed;
* Meeky Rosie music video for "Forever" with footage of the band and scenes from the movie, nearly 4 minutes long.
* French subtitles for the movie. There are sadly no English subtitles, but the film is Close Captioned in English.
If you like this film I recommend that you check out the Plug-In America's sponsored "What is the Electric Car?" It tells more of the story of the EV1, and the insurance requirements that lead to the cars being destroyed, as well as additional interviews from many of the same people. I think of it as 'Electric Car 1.5', and being followed by the much different "Revenge of the Electric Car".
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Viable Electric Cars In The MIddle 90's? You Bet! Watch To Learn About The EV1 & Why GM Sent Them To The Crusher
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2017
Watching Who Killed The Electric Car is the movie that got me interested in electric and hybrid vehicles. In 2007 when I bought this DVD I went out and bought a Generation 2 Prius. Now 10 years later I have a 2017 Prius Prime plug-in. This movie was the inspiration.The movie mainly tells the story of the EV1 which GM leased in the mid-90s till they took them all back and crushed almost all of them. The people who had them were passionate.about them. GM refused to let people buy out their leases. One survives in an auto museum.But the movie covers electric car history and interviews a BUNCH of people involved in one way or another. It also predicts the coming of the Tesla and speculates on why GM ended their electric car program back then (now back with the Volt and Bolt models).In the 11 years since the movie was released electric vehicles have reemerged as a viable automotive option. Not perfect yet, but getting better, I am looking forward to where it will be in 10 years when I am ready for my next car. Maybe I'll go 100% electric on my next car!
Reviewed in the United States on November 24, 2017
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History not to be repeated ,how times change
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