This documentary is full of interesting facts about not only electric cars specifically, but the automobile industry in general. For instance, did you know there was a time, early in the 20th Century, when electric cars outnumbered gas ones? Who Killed the Electric Car? has an interview with Phyllis Diller, who reveals some of her earliest memories while riding around in one of those antique energy efficient machines.
The main focus of Who Killed the Electric Car? is GM's EV-1 (or Impact as it was code named). This sporty little car was not only designed with the eco-system in mind, but it even has some get-up-and-go. This car rose quickly in locations like L.A. where the smog levels were dangerously high. And even moviestars like Mel Gibson and Tom Hanks praised the little thing.
But why don't we see any Saturn EV-1's on the road today? Why isn't there an EV in everyone's garage right now plugged into your closest outlet? Who Killed the Electric Car? reveals a sinister plot by Big Oil and many gas-guzzling car manufacturers designed to remove this energy efficient car from our minds.
Though hybrid vehicles, like the Toyota Prius, seem to be making an impact on the road, the fully electric vehicle still seems to be a hushed taboo that many manufacturers seem to be shying away from. Could something have happened when the EV-1 was discontinued, to make the other companies take notice? How can a vehicle that is obviously better for the environment be scrapped like yesteryear's Hot-Wheel. Who Killed the Electric Car? goes over all of these points and tries to unveil this conspiracy.
Of course, like most conspiracy theories, the arguments posed in this documentary are a bit one-sided and with the exception of a brief interview with people that didn't buy an EV-1, this film doesn't bring up things like the cost of batteries, frequency of battery replacement and other hidden costs that might not be applicable to the internal combustion engine.
Who Killed the Electric Car? is a good movie for any car or environmental enthusiast. For those people that remember (or even owned) an EV-1, this should be a great purchase. And for those people looking at buying a hybrid or other alternative-fuel vehicle, it might be worth checking this documentary out as well.
