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New electric car film is…electric
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The film, which traces the development of the electric car from its popularity in the early 1900s to its near-death in 2003, drew a packed audience and received a standing ovation at the recent San Francisco Film Festival. For many, the electric car represents both hope for the future and a crushing example of how industry incumbents exert pressure on politicians to eradicate potentially viable environmental products from the marketplace. Why did the auto industry, which started pushing electric cars in the mid-1990s, suddenly ask for the keys back to all their leased electrics, even when so many owners wanted to purchase them? I remember sitting in a new electric vehicle in 1997 and thinking it was the start of a revolution. Look around the road today and you’ll be hard-pressed to spot a single one. The story is too complex to do justice to here, involving automakers, the oil industry, consumers, and the California Air Resources Board. You’ll have to wait until this compelling documentary opens nationwide on June 28th. After the movie, I hitched a ride to the after-party in a 100+ mpg plug-in hybrid electric Prius provided by CalCars. There, the assembled crowd of electric vehicle owners talked about their cars with both passion and unmistakeable affection. One EV owner said he was living in “utopia” and spoke of the transformative power of using the solar panels on his house to fuel his commute. Sun to roof to car. Pretty simple and amazing stuff. Tags: Electric cars, Movie review, Who Killed the Electric Car?
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CommentsAh, how I wish I had the guts to hack my Prius like that. I’m doing a renovation on my home this fall, part of which will be the installation of solar panels to soak up all that warm California sun. If I could plug my Prius in to use solar power to optimize its mileage (I get 50 - 52mpg on average now, with a mixed city/freeway drive), I’d be in commuter heaven. I’m just wary of that “voiding the warranty” issue. Perhaps Toyota will buckle soon and create a dealer-installable plug for my little guy. That’s something I’d gladly pay for. —david 3.
Comment by bruce mcgrew
@ May 17, 2006 12 PM
 It’s interesting ,Porsche,yes, Ferdinand Porsche’s made a car in 1901 for Austro-Diamler that was powered solely on electricity.It was said,”That it was so silent it could be passing right behind u.”Electric cars have proved thier worth but, due to money hungry oil tycoons they have ceased to provide the ultimate solution.I bet that if electricity cost as much as oil there would b electric cars all around. For an overview of the emissions question (from electric cars and power sources) that I conducted in research for my upcoming book, see Toyota announced just this week that it is working on a plug-in hybrid. Fact is, they could be selling one today. We can prod them to get one on the market sooner rather than later; see the contact info at www.pluginamerica.org. I also analyzed the power plant emissions attributed to EVs. They’re *very* clean compared to internal combustion engines: I will not buy a new car until I can buy a zero emission vehicule ever…. so you lunkheads get your fingers out of your noses and put them on the market. 7.
Comment by edward rudelt
@ Jan 22, 2007 7 PM
i have a true concept car,because it only exist in my mind. but i though of a way to make an electric car to get 200 plus miles range per charge.i know how that might sound to most people.but i would like to talk to someone about my idears. how do i start ? how do i make sure no one steal my idear? i had this idear for over 20 years now. but i dont know who to trust. ill will not open up to someone unless they can give me some sort of guarantee that my idears will be protected. only respond if you are serious. thank you. 8.
Comment by mac
@ Apr 11, 2007 4 PM
You might have “idears” but that is not enough by a long shot. You need pilot projects with data. You need $ and investors, which means you need a good lawyer. Then if all comes together as you imagine, you need a good CEO. So, if that’s not what you want to do, just stop now. 9.
Comment by Anonymous
@ Jun 20, 2007 4 AM
Dear Edward Rudelt: If you are still interested in talking about your ideas, please write me at SeekhopeUSA@aim.com.
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100+ MPG DOES sound like utopia… i cant help but wonder how many kwh are needed to charge the batteray/the emissions from that and the balance between the two???
although, if more and more electricty on the grid was from clean sources and at least produced nationally, it’s a benefit than fossil fuel gasoline from overseas…