June 26, 2006
"Who Killed The Electric Car?"
Cheekily framed as a dime-store whodunit, the new documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? investigates the "murder" of the EV1, the first—and so far only—electric automobile built and marketed by an American car manufacturer. The brainchild of the boys in the backroom at General Motors, the EV1 was first introduced in California in 1996 as an alternative to the pollution-spewing vehicles that clogged the state highways. For only $500 a month, energy-conscious drivers could lease a sleek ride that was just as speedy as a gas-guzzler and far less expensive to keep running. A number of celebrities jumped on the electric bandwagon as well, from Baywatch's Alexandra Paul to superstar Tom Hanks, who sang the EV1's praises on the late-night talk show circuit.
It seemed like the era of the electric car had arrived. But only a few years after its launch, the EV1 had virtually disappeared from the roads. While GM blamed a lack of consumer interest, other forces seemed to be at work, from industry lobbyists seeking to repeal California's Zero Emission Vehicle mandate (the legislation that paved the way for the electric car) to a general resistance among major automotive companies towards developing alternatives to gasoline-powered cars. Filmmaker and activist Chris Paine was one of the many EV1 converts who watched as their vehicles were reclaimed by GM and sent on a one-way trip to the junkyard. Rather than let the cars disappear without a word, he picked up his camera and chronicled the last days of the EV1, filming various public protests and even chartering a helicopter to fly over the isolated area where the cars were being broken down to scrap metal, far from any unwanted media attention. In addition to his fellow drivers (including such familiar faces as Peter Horton and Mel Gibson), Paine interviews politicians, engineers, and various energy specialists, all of whom have their own opinion about who really killed the electric car.
While the film profiles all of the suspects that might have had a hand in the EV1's demise, it becomes clear early on that Paine considers the real culprit to be GM itself. In the end, the company simply backed away from a promising product for the usual reasons: greed and fear. Between Roger & Me and Who Killed the Electric Car? GM might want to think about hiring a new public relations consultant. Of course, it's doubtful that this film will inspire the same headlines as Roger & Me, largely because Paine doesn't position himself as a Michael Moore–type rabble-rouser. That actually works in his favor; Who Killed the Electric Car? may lack the raw anger of Moore's work, but it's a more focused documentary that doesn't get hijacked by any on-camera grandstanding. Paine's crew of talking heads are informative and entertaining, and the filmmaker offers a clear presentation of the tortured history behind California's energy policies.
By the end of the film, you actually come to mourn the passing of the EV1, a well-intentioned soul that was in the right place at the right time, but was surrounded by the wrong people. —Ethan Alter
