The Emporia Gazette

February 13, 2012

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“Who Killed the Electric Car?,” distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, released on DVD November 2006; new to Emporia Public Library in 2007, www.whokilledtheelectriccarmovie.com, $19.99.

  Many viewers may not realize that a century ago electric cars dominated the roads. They were quiet, smooth and could be charged at home, whereas gas-powered vehicles required cranking and fuel, and produced exhaust.

Yet by the 1920s, gas-powered vehicles won out thanks to cheaper oil, automatic starters and mass production. Electric-powered vehicles remained on the fringe of the automotive industry until 1990, when California passed the Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate. California told the automotive industry that if they wanted to continue to sell cars in the Golden State, a percentage of their vehicles had to produce zero emissions.

Enter GM’s EV1, which hit the California freeways in 1996. Marketed through Saturn, the EV1 was sleek, sexy and quiet. It reached 100 miles on a single charge and required virtually no maintenance beyond having the tires rotated and the washer fluid topped off. What’s more, because it required no gasoline, it achieved California’s goal for a zero-emissions vehicle.

Many Californians were excited about the EVI and momentum for electric vehicles grew as Ford, Honda and Nissan released their own EVs. Public charging stations were built across the state. As the EV became visible on the streets, waiting lists at dealerships grew.

Yet less than 10 years later, aside from a handful of automobiles that escaped to the relative sanctuary of museums and university engineering programs, the EV was wiped off the face of the earth.

As compelling as any murder mystery, writer and director Chris Paine’s documentary tells the story of the rise and fall of both the EV and California’s zero emissions vehicle mandate. Who was to blame for the failure of these programs? Paine develops a list of seven suspects: consumers, EV batteries, oil companies, car companies, hydrogen fuel cells, the California Air Resources Board and the federal government. Through interviews with dozens of lawmakers, auto industry execs, engineers and drivers, Paine builds a case that will probably leave many viewers wondering just who or what is driving the development of better vehicles and legislation.

The opening sequence of a funeral procession for the EV1 seems over the top at first, but as the story of the EV1 and its fan base unfolds, it’s hard not to mourn for the little car. What’s more, after watching footage of the stylish little EV1 zipping along California freeways, this viewer found herself wishing she could drive one.