Who Killed the Electric Car Solar
Power Energy Generation Guide
Who Killed the Electric Car Is A Documentary on DVD
By J K Hellios
"Who Killed the Electric Car?" is a documentary
that was released on DVD to the home market in the latter
half of 2006. It has spurred some controversy. The producers
set out to portray the history and progress of the electric
car and to explain some of the forces that interfered
with the full introduction of it into the marketplace.
The main subject matter of "Who Killed the Electric
Car?" is the electric car that was introduced by
General Motors (GM) called the EV1 back in the 1990s.
It was later removed from the market despite the fact
that it was well-received and functioned satisfactorily.
"Who Killed the Electric Car" starts out
by looking at the birth of the EV1 and the efforts made
by GM to promote and market the revolutionary car. It
also tries to uncover the real reasons why it never
had the kind of impact on the automotive market that
many had predicted.
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The Demise Of The EV1 Electric Car
Some of the players in this story, with regard to the
introduction of the electric motor generator in the
United States, plus the organizations that were investigated
for their role in, what many believe, the death of the
new electric car are: the automobile manufacturers,
the United States government, the California Air Resources
Board (CARB) and the oil industry.
Each of these organizations played their part in the
demise of the EV1 electric car according to the makers
of the documentary. The film was released to the home
video market in November of 2006 by Sony Picture Home
Entertainment, after it was shown in conjunction with
"An Inconvenient Truth" in theaters in many
markets across the US.
Looking At Some Of The Difficult Challenges
The film, "Who Killed the Electric Car" also
looks at some of the other difficult challenges that
were faced by GM in an attempt to bring the ground-breaking
EV1 to the market.
Some of these challenges included: battery issues with
regard to recharge time, heat build up, reliability
and drive time; the promise of hydrogen vehicles and
the potential threat of competition; and consumers and
their attitudes and habits as related to the small electric
car.
Problems With California Air Resources Board
The premise of "Who Killed the Electric Car"
also focuses on some of the problems that were encountered
in trying to deal with the California Air Resources
Board. The mandates that they passed, negatively impacted
the attempt by General Motors to widely and successfully
introduce their electric car to the market.
It also looks at some of the other issues of concern
at the time, such as air pollution and environmentalism,
the political situation with the Middle East, as well
as the growing concerns over global warming.
Consumers Wanted To Keep Their Electric Cars
One of the strangest turns of events that the film
chronicles is the fact that GM took possession of virtually
all of the EV1 cars that had been leased by consumers.
They dismantled them and crushed them, claiming there
was no demand for the product. However many consumers
came forward and were interviewed for the documentary
and showed a clear affinity for, and a desire to keep,
their electric cars.
"Who Killed the Electric Car?" also explores
some of the motivations, both obvious and more obscure,
as to why the automobile and the oil industries worked
together to squelch the advancement of the cutting edge
GM EV1.
For those who are interested in the various factors
that play into the whole situation, a viewing of the
documentary may be enjoyed.
About the Author:
J K Hellios has written a number of articles on solar
power and renewable energy including Solar
Panels, Homes and
Solar Power.
Keep a lookout for more articles coming soon on this
website.
Little Known Electric Car Facts.....
How does an electric car work?
An electric car has an
electric motor that is powered by a controller.
The controller receives power from rechargeable batteries.
The controller gives the power to the driver in a series of
volts that range from zero to ninety-six. It may sound complicated
but the principle is similar to that of a remote control car.
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