Search - Who Killed the Electric Car? on DVD


Who Killed the Electric Car?
Who Killed the Electric Car
Actor: Martin Sheen
Genres: Indie & Art House, Documentary
PG     2006     1hr 32min

In 1996, electric cars began to appear on roads all over California. They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust and ran without gasoline. Ten years later, these futuristic cars were almost entirely gone. What happened? ...  more »
     
     

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Movie Details

Actor: Martin Sheen
Genres: Indie & Art House, Documentary
Sub-Genres: Indie & Art House, Politics, Science & Technology
Studio: Sony Pictures
Format: DVD - Color,Widescreen - Subtitled
DVD Release Date: 11/14/2006
Original Release Date: 01/01/2006
Theatrical Release Date: 01/01/2006
Release Year: 2006
Run Time: 1hr 32min
Screens: Color,Widescreen
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 2
Members Wishing: 0
MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Languages: English
Subtitles: French

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Member Movie Reviews

Sharon F. (Shar) from AVON PARK, FL
Reviewed on 10/13/2022...
Did you know that people have invented engines that run on WATER? But the patients are bought up by the Big 5 Auto manufacturers or the oil giants so that they will never go into production??? This is such a story. So what has changed that now they want us all to buy electric cars???
Elaine D. from FORT MYERS, FL
Reviewed on 3/18/2010...
This DVD opened my eyes to what happens regarding the politics of big corporations. In order to keep the gas/oil industries going, it sabotages the clean energy industry. You must see this to believe it or make up your own mind.

Movie Reviews

A "Who Done It" for the auto industry.
Bruce Tucker | Thousand Oaks, CA USA | 07/20/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"A great film about another sorry episode in the history of America's automobile and energy industry. Set as a "Who-Done-It", the film chronicles how short sighted automakers (especially GM) develop great electric cars in response to the California ZEV mandate only to do everything in their power - from suing the state, making ridiculous ads, creating a red-tape filled lease application process - to kill them. Consumers buy bigger and bigger vehicles (whether they need them or not). Government officials and staffers bow to the pressure of intense lobbying, and conflicts of interest. The sad fate of most of the EVs produced during the late '90s to 2002 is revealed.

GM, especially, comes off as incredibly vindictive. What automaker ever tracked down every car of any model and crushed them (not the Corvair, Edsel, etc.)? Even after loyal drivers pleaded to keep them, offering to buy the last remaining EV1s with junk titles at lease buyout prices, GM went out of its way to ensure that the EV1 was history.

The passion of GM's EV specialist Chelsea Sexton for the EV1 makes her the star of the movie. One can only imagine what the engineers who designed the EV1 felt when their babies were being crushed.

But the movie ends on a hopeful note. We may never see the EV1 again, but vehicles using electric drive systems, either as full EVs (which are coming from several start-up companies) or plug-in hybrids, must inevitably roam the roads. The upward trend in gasoline prices, the effects of global warming, the inherent efficiency of electric drive trains, the continued improvement of battery technology, and the upcoming reevaluation of the ZEV Mandate guarantee it."
WKtEC Kicks GM in the Butt
Claudine Jones | SF Bay Area | 07/19/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, all you sceptics out there--see it and weep! Yes, there was an incredibly cool, sexy two seater ZEV on the road and no, you didn't get to drive it...but I did. For three years I had the fun (and so did everybody I gave a ride to). Also, with a Time of Usage meter installed on my house, I charged at night (still do) at a lower rate--PLUS, get this, I have a 16 panel solar array on my roof which not only lowers my bill, but means my (gasp!) Toyota RAV4 EV license IM SOLAR is not lying. Clean, clean, clean! See this movie and get those auto makers to give you some more options! Way to go, Chris Paine et al."
Outstanding
Philip R. Karn Jr. | San Diego, CA, USA | 10/28/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I drove the EV1 for five years, so some might say I am not exactly objective on this subject. Be that as it may, this movie utterly demolishes GM's lame propaganda that nobody wants to drive an EV. GM fully *intended* the EV1 to fail; while it may have cost a billion dollars to develop, that was small potatoes compared to the value (to GM) of destroying California's zero-emission mandate and keeping it from spreading to other states.

Despite extreme scarcity, highly restrictive lease terms and nearly non-existent advertising, the EV1 became an unexpected success. The unbridled enthusiasm of its drivers, splendidly depicted in this movie, so embarassed GM that they eventually recalled and destroyed every EV1 with a vindictiveness that stunned even those of us who thought we harbored no illusions about GM's motives.

The EV1 may be dead, a victim of corporate greed and short-sightedness. But no one who has ever thought seriously about the subject can doubt that the EV will return; the only open question is *when*. Hopefully this movie will remain as an inspiration, and help make that day sooner rather than later."