Who Killed the Electric Car? by Chris Paine is a poignant look at the auto industry, the government, the oil companies and their manipulation of consumers through a case study of the destruction of the EV1. The EV1 was the first completely electric car from a major auto manufacturer. The technology was cutting edge: saving money on fuel and saving the environment from pollutants. In spite of the technology, lower cost, and the celebrity support, the EV1 was pulled off the market and destroyed. This documentary explores the ideas behind who killed this technology and the greed behind the decision to pull the EV1 off the market.
Who Killed the Electric Car? points to a number of suspects in the cars demise. The car companies killed the technology in an effort to refocus their time and funds to more profitable endeavors such as the SUV and Hummer and because profits from maintenance of the EV1 would be less than a standard car as they did not require oil changes or tune-up. The consumers are considered an accomplice to the cars demise because they were too smitten with large luxury SUVs at this period with low gas prices, that the technology and long term benefits of the EV1 were overlooked. Oil companies manipulated the politics in the Middle East in order to squelch the growing interest in alternative vehicles. They also created smear campaigns against electric vehicles and bought the majority stock in Ovonics, the company producing the batteries for the electric cars. The United States government is also implicated, citing that a number of the decision makers had ties to the automotive and oil industries.
I highly recommend Who Killed the Electric Car? for anyone interested in conspiracy theories or for those who are tired of the rising oil prices and the automotive industry's manipulation of the consumer. Set as a murder mystery, this film shows that greed triumphs over technology and com
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