- Actors: Phyllis Diller, Colette Divine, David Freeman
- Directors: Chris Paine
- Writers: Chris Paine
- Producers: Jessie Deeter
- Format: Subtitled, PAL
- Language English
- Subtitles: Hindi, English
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9 - 1.78:1
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: U
- Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
- DVD Release Date: 19 Mar 2007
- Run Time: 89 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B000MGBPHO
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 43,049 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Reviews
Amazon.co.uk
It begins with a solemn funeral…for a car. By the end of Chris Paine's lively and informative documentary, the idea doesn't seem quite so strange. As narrator Martin Sheen notes, "They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust and ran without gasoline." Paine proceeds to show how this unique vehicle came into being and why General Motors ended up reclaiming its once-prized creation less than a decade later. He begins 100 years ago with the original electric car. By the 1920s, the internal-combustion engine had rendered it obsolete. By the 1980s, however, car companies started exploring alternative energy sources, like solar power. This, in turn, led to the late, great battery-powered EV1. Throughout, Paine deftly translates hard science and complex politics, such as California's Zero-Emission Vehicle Mandate, into lay person's terms (director Alex Gibney, Oscar-nominated for Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, served as consulting producer). And everyone gets the chance to have their say: engineers, politicians, protesters, and petroleum spokespeople--even celebrity drivers, like Peter Horton, Alexandra Paul, and a wild man beard-sporting Mel Gibson. But the most persuasive participant is former Saturn employee Chelsea Sexton. Promoting the benefits of the EV1 was more than a job to her, and she continues to lobby for more environmentally friendly options. Who Killed the Electric Car? is, otherwise, a tremendously sobering experience. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Synopsis
A documentary that investigates the birth and death of the electric car, as well as the role of renewable energy and sustainable living in the future.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Having watched this documentary I feel like I have been living in a hole in the ground for the last 20 years. How did I not know about this?
Assuming that the information in this doc is accurate (I am sceptical about everything I see and read these days), it appears that in the 90s many of the car manufacturers had working production models of electric cars that were environmentally friendly and practical for the typical use of most people. They were basically killed off by a combination of the car companies, the oil companies and of course politicians (Bush et al). The cars were fast, silent and could run for about 60 miles before a charge. Modern batteries are even more effective, allowing better reliability and much greater range. With the right investment and promotion from the car companies and government, the title of this movie might have been Who Killed The Petrol Engine?
It appears that the car companies deliberately prevented the cars from becoming successful, seizing them all back from the owners whether they wanted to hang onto them or not. The reason? Officially the car companies say that the cars were not popular or practical and poured investment into the hydrogen cell which has still not produced a practical, workable car. The real reason? The trillions of dollars of potential future profits to be made by the oil companies.
This documentary opens your eyes to the self destructive nature of the human race, a world where personal greed wins over reason and politicians are controlled by corporations. It also makes you reconsider your attitude to the Middle East and world politics generally. This film has converted me.
Assuming that the information in this doc is accurate (I am sceptical about everything I see and read these days), it appears that in the 90s many of the car manufacturers had working production models of electric cars that were environmentally friendly and practical for the typical use of most people. They were basically killed off by a combination of the car companies, the oil companies and of course politicians (Bush et al). The cars were fast, silent and could run for about 60 miles before a charge. Modern batteries are even more effective, allowing better reliability and much greater range. With the right investment and promotion from the car companies and government, the title of this movie might have been Who Killed The Petrol Engine?
It appears that the car companies deliberately prevented the cars from becoming successful, seizing them all back from the owners whether they wanted to hang onto them or not. The reason? Officially the car companies say that the cars were not popular or practical and poured investment into the hydrogen cell which has still not produced a practical, workable car. The real reason? The trillions of dollars of potential future profits to be made by the oil companies.
This documentary opens your eyes to the self destructive nature of the human race, a world where personal greed wins over reason and politicians are controlled by corporations. It also makes you reconsider your attitude to the Middle East and world politics generally. This film has converted me.
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
This great documentary, directed by Chris Paine shows the last days of the electric cars being dramatically taken from their owners to be destroyed.
I thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in electric vehicles and being non Dependant on petrol.
I heard about this documentary in several internet pages discussing cars with low environmental impact, and it took me a while to get it, I bought form amazon.com (USA) region 1 and had to watch it in my computer.
I am glad this is now available in region 2 at a reasonable price (marketplace that is ).
The people who owned the cars felt very passionately about them and had real love for their cars and for they represented, it is heart breaking to see them being taken away in front of their eyes and how General Motors did its utmost to shred to small pieces.
The movie then goes to explore the several factors involved in the making of electric cars and the future possibilities of it ,including new batteries and solar panels , needless to say the car and oil industry will try very hard for them not the be available for the general public for a long time.
Sadly for us in Europe the range of electric cars is appallingly bad, there nothing but a glorified children's toy with an incredible short range and they look ugly, they are also most impractical.
There are some "super-hybrid" (125 mpg , plug-in hybrid with a range of 60 miles on electric ) cars that will be launched in them market before 2010 ,but nothing compared to the beauty of the GM EV-1 which hit the roads in 1996.
I feel that the oil and car industry killed the electric car but maybe in the , no so far , future the electric car will kill the oil industry and I hope to be around to watch it .
I thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in electric vehicles and being non Dependant on petrol.
I heard about this documentary in several internet pages discussing cars with low environmental impact, and it took me a while to get it, I bought form amazon.com (USA) region 1 and had to watch it in my computer.
I am glad this is now available in region 2 at a reasonable price (marketplace that is ).
The people who owned the cars felt very passionately about them and had real love for their cars and for they represented, it is heart breaking to see them being taken away in front of their eyes and how General Motors did its utmost to shred to small pieces.
The movie then goes to explore the several factors involved in the making of electric cars and the future possibilities of it ,including new batteries and solar panels , needless to say the car and oil industry will try very hard for them not the be available for the general public for a long time.
Sadly for us in Europe the range of electric cars is appallingly bad, there nothing but a glorified children's toy with an incredible short range and they look ugly, they are also most impractical.
There are some "super-hybrid" (125 mpg , plug-in hybrid with a range of 60 miles on electric ) cars that will be launched in them market before 2010 ,but nothing compared to the beauty of the GM EV-1 which hit the roads in 1996.
I feel that the oil and car industry killed the electric car but maybe in the , no so far , future the electric car will kill the oil industry and I hope to be around to watch it .
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
In a film that will make you angry and disheartened, director Chris Paine explores the ominous confluence of big business and government and their efforts to get rid of the electric car, which ten years ago, looked as though it was going to set the automotive world on fire.
The reasons behinds reasons for the electric car's disappearance include corporate collusion and greed, governmental spinelessness and oil company propaganda. This does documentary does an excellent job of laying out what actually happened.
When General Motors terminated all leases of its fleet of fast, sleek EV's - the vehicle was never made available for purchase - the company ended up sending them to the crusher as Honda, Toyota and Ford also would pull their fleets off the streets. Determined to find out who ultimately was responsible stopping production, Paine cleverly structures his movie like a murder mystery, lining up the list of suspects and then methodically going through them.
In addition to the car companies and obviously the oil companies, who have grown accustomed to selling nearly 3 billion gallons of gas a week, fingers are also are pointed at the California Air Resources Board, which backed off of its original Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate under pressure from the auto industry and the Bush Administration (go figure).
While Paine, himself a one-time EV1 lessee, is unabashedly partial to the promise of electric-car technology over petrol, he includes interviewees who don't even agree a crime ever occurred and they argue that there was just lack of demand which ended the scant supply. Of course, oil companies ran ads claiming that the electric car was an environmental hazard and the public was just too shortsighted to see through the lies.
Later, the oil companies and the car manufacturers bought the rights to the electric car battery technology. And as Paine gathers such converts as Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Peter Horton and Alexandra Paul who talk about the advantages of having the car and how great it actually was, we see the gradual collusion of corporate and government interests gradually unfold.
Who Killed the Electric Car? makes a compelling case that the current discussion of hydrogen cell technology, as the successor to the internal combustion engine, but the movie also makes the point that hydrogen technology isn't nearly as efficient as electrical technology. The hydrogen cell is still decades away from being perfected, whilst the electric car was close to being practical - the cars were actually on the road!
And although the film ends on an optimistic note - with the current popularity of hybrid vehicles - it's still upsetting to see all these new clean electric cars - a hope for the future - being crushed, mangled and shredded.
The reasons behinds reasons for the electric car's disappearance include corporate collusion and greed, governmental spinelessness and oil company propaganda. This does documentary does an excellent job of laying out what actually happened.
When General Motors terminated all leases of its fleet of fast, sleek EV's - the vehicle was never made available for purchase - the company ended up sending them to the crusher as Honda, Toyota and Ford also would pull their fleets off the streets. Determined to find out who ultimately was responsible stopping production, Paine cleverly structures his movie like a murder mystery, lining up the list of suspects and then methodically going through them.
In addition to the car companies and obviously the oil companies, who have grown accustomed to selling nearly 3 billion gallons of gas a week, fingers are also are pointed at the California Air Resources Board, which backed off of its original Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate under pressure from the auto industry and the Bush Administration (go figure).
While Paine, himself a one-time EV1 lessee, is unabashedly partial to the promise of electric-car technology over petrol, he includes interviewees who don't even agree a crime ever occurred and they argue that there was just lack of demand which ended the scant supply. Of course, oil companies ran ads claiming that the electric car was an environmental hazard and the public was just too shortsighted to see through the lies.
Later, the oil companies and the car manufacturers bought the rights to the electric car battery technology. And as Paine gathers such converts as Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Peter Horton and Alexandra Paul who talk about the advantages of having the car and how great it actually was, we see the gradual collusion of corporate and government interests gradually unfold.
Who Killed the Electric Car? makes a compelling case that the current discussion of hydrogen cell technology, as the successor to the internal combustion engine, but the movie also makes the point that hydrogen technology isn't nearly as efficient as electrical technology. The hydrogen cell is still decades away from being perfected, whilst the electric car was close to being practical - the cars were actually on the road!
And although the film ends on an optimistic note - with the current popularity of hybrid vehicles - it's still upsetting to see all these new clean electric cars - a hope for the future - being crushed, mangled and shredded.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Inaccurate title
This post-modern documentary - that is the kind that are made not by 'real' film-makers (of the journalistic variety) rather, by graduates from the Michael Moore Academy of... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Andrew W
Excellent documentary, everyone should try and watch this
I'm pretty clued up on cars, but a lot of the content and facts in this documentary really opened my eyes to the state of electric and alternative propulsion cars. Read more
Published 16 months ago by M. Moreno
GM You Should have listened to your customers
I can't believe that GM would stop selling a car that customers wanted and were willing to fight for. Most car companies pay big bucks to get that type of loyalty. Read more
Published on 11 Jan 2010 by T. Akinola
Vital viewing, not just for conspiracy theorists
Sometimes I watch documentaries etc that make me despair about aspects of what is happening in the world. Read more
Published on 28 Nov 2009 by J. S. Hardman
Yes, kill the electric car - & all other cars!
I hope & pray our grandchildren are not driving electric cars. I hope the electric car remains "killed" by big oil based business. Read more
Published on 31 Oct 2009 by W. methven
A non-traditional whodunit and second chances...
"Who Killed the Electric Car?", directed by Chris Paine, is a documentary, but also a non-traditional whodunit. Read more
Published on 14 Aug 2009 by M. B. Alcat
Who Killed the Electric Car?
This is the fascinating tale of Detroit motor industry's determination eight years ago to kill off the electric car concept ignoring strong consumer desires. Read more
Published on 1 Jun 2009 by A. D. Chamier
who killed the Electric Car
Great DVD - says it all. Is a must see for everyone.
Credit must go to the people who made it, and brought about the reversal of the US govt's attitude to global change.
Credit must go to the people who made it, and brought about the reversal of the US govt's attitude to global change.
Published on 18 May 2009 by Mr. Nigel Trigg
Why did they kill it?
This is an excellent documentary, which shows that the vested interests of the car and oil industry killed a car that back in the mid-ninties was technologically well advanced. Read more
Published on 29 April 2009 by Mich Bonten
Buy it if you are interested in Electric Vehicles
One of the most well written technical books I have ever read.
A must have for any Electric Vehicle enthusiast who is technically minded.
A must have for any Electric Vehicle enthusiast who is technically minded.
Published on 11 Mar 2009 by Mr. N. R. Hathaway
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