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Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006) DVD Review
Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006) DVD Credits:
Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006) Directed by:
Chris Paine
Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006) Written by:
Chris Paine
Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006) Cast:
Not available at this time
Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006) Released by:
Not available at this time
Region:
1
Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006) DVD Release Date:
14th November 2006
Our Rating: Extras Rating:

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Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006) Synopsis:

It was among the fastest, most efficient production car ever built. It ran on electricity, produced no emissions and catapulted American technology to the forefront of the automotive industry. The lucky few who drove it never wanted to give it up. So why did General Motors crush its fleet of EV-1 electric vehicles in the Arizona desert?

Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006) DVD Review:

Regardless of how you feel about electric cars, this film is bound to feel somewhat melodramatic at moments. It begins with a faux funeral for a car, which may seem ridiculous until you are shown what the cars represented for people. For some people it is a decision to be concerned about our environment, while others just seem to miss their cool little futuristic car. There are some good arguments to be made for electric cars, but the conspiracy theories about the “killing” of electric cars can be somewhat obnoxious.

Although I feel for all of the consumers who unjustifiably had their cars taken from them in a drastic recall, a conspiracy may be taking the argument about the cars a bit too far. Certainly these cars should be made available to those who want them, but at the same time there is a good point made about them by the opposing view in the film. The electric cars proved to be a fantastic alternative, but they have certain problems that made consumers wary. They were only able to travel a certain amount of distance before needing to be charged, and for anyone that only drives eighty miles a day this might not be a problem, but what about days that require more? Consumers were obviously concerned about this problem and at the very least could not be asked to pay the same amount for these cars that they would pay for a car that could drive as many miles as needed in a day. Apparently they could not be built for any less, which is understandable, and also a reason why many celebrities were said to enjoy electric cars. Mel Gibson and Tom Hanks are both seen in the documentary praising the electric car, but these two can certainly afford more than one car, or could fly any greater distance. The same is not true for the average consumer.

This problem is never completely resolved in the documentary, and it was one that swayed me away from the electric car, although the decision to stop funding from experimenting on making a more efficient and less expensive electric car is still inexcusable. Even if the cars that were on the road for a short while were not the most practical consumer product on the road, despite all of the best intentions, there is a swift desertion of the idea at all. Everyone was much happier to move on to fuel cells as the next solution. The problem with the arguments in the film is that commerce and environmental concern is so conjoined that it is difficult to find the truth among the arguments.

Of all the strange special features for a documentary to have, a music video is among them. The Meeky Rose music video isn’t bad although the singing can get a bit whiny after a few minutes. There are also a number of deleted scenes and a featurette, “Jump-Starting the Future”. It is basically just an extension of the film, complete with interviews with many of the same people that were in the film. The inclusion of the director and other behind-the-scenes people is a good addition, but most of the arguments are the same as they were in the film.

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Who Killed The Electric Car? (2006) DVD review written by: Ryan Izay

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