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10/16/2006

Who Killed the Electric Car?

Autoblog provides us with "Who Killed the Electric Car?" in its entirety. This documentary "explores the birth, limited commercialization, and subsequent death of the battery electric vehicle in the United States, specifically the General Motors EV1 of the 1990s." What are your thoughts? Video after the jump.
The film explores the roles of automobile makers, the oil industry, the US government, batteries, hydrogen vehicles, and consumers in limiting the development and adoption of this technology

This entry was posted on 10/16/2006 02:40am and is filed under Auto, Video .
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There are 24 comments about this post (1 pages).

1
Posted at 10/16/2006 04:47am by Kenny
The biggest flaw with the electric car is the human lifestyle. But also that it not so clean to recharge them if all shall haw an electric car, the chois is nucular, coal or oil.
2
Posted at 10/16/2006 06:11am by Kenny
I forgot to say that electric is the best choise, its not 100 % clean due to the way we now produce electric power.
3
Posted at 10/16/2006 08:26am by John Swaine
I'll tell you why it failed: 90 mile range. Who wants to buy a car that can't drive cross-state? All the conspiracy theories about Electric Cars being killed by GM's relationship with Big Oil ignore about a half dozen massively important points: Toyota Honda BMW Mercedes etc GM may be the largest Automobile company but there are literally dozens of non US car manufacturers who would kill to break into that market. They're not in the pay of 'Big Oil', they're just run by sensible people. Electric Cars require a lot more research for their battery life and performance - at the moment the Tesla Roadster is going the right way about it, aiming its car at the top end of the market where ALL new tech products have to start. The first Macintosh cost thousands of dollars, the first Cars were the preserve of the massively wealthy - these people blaze the trail for innovation and investment into the technology that makes consumer products (read: compromise) possible.
4
Posted at 10/16/2006 09:29am by BJC
Did Kenny even watch the film? Tesla, Venturi, and the Tango (among others) have proven that the electric car can accommodate the vast majority of human lifestyle. The emergence and proliferation of renewable energy erodes the conventional arguments against electric vehicles. This documentary shows how a government can both force innovation and fall victim to corporate pressure. Why else would most of the EV's produced by GM, Ford, Toyota, and Nissan be destroyed in working condition instead of given to the market that were willing to pay for such vehicles? This is a good documentary.
5
Posted at 10/16/2006 10:06am by frank
Who killed the electric car? The oil companies by pressuring the politicians to not push it. There is no reason everyone shouldn't be driving an electric or hybrid car by now. The technology is achieveable, but I don't understand why there aren't more choices available.
6
Posted at 10/16/2006 10:18am by gist901
People think electric cars are going to be much cleaner to the enviroment, but what is going to happen to the massive batteries that are used to power them when they fail?
7
Posted at 10/16/2006 10:18am by gist901
People think electric cars are going to be much cleaner to the enviroment, but what is going to happen to the massive batteries that are used to power them when they fail? Hydrogen cars will be the way of the future
8
Posted at 10/16/2006 10:28am by jasper
And live like a european???? Come acrose and see how we have it. trust me its better than in the states. Youl see that soon enough. what i want a is a Fushion reactor that creates insane amount of power and also hydrogen. now we can have the best of all. combustion and limitless Power. (fushion reactor is beeing build in France it saide to produce enough power for the whole of europe thats )
9
Posted at 10/16/2006 1:21pm by paul
The electric car has failed on many factors. The product is not as appealing to consumers as a non-electric car because of the factors people above have mentioned, but also consumers (general consumers) must consider sell-on price, running-costs beyond petrol prices (mechanical repair would presumably be much more expensive and harder to find the appropriate trained mechanics). It also failed because oil-prices are currently not high enough for the marketplace to support a mass-adoption of the technology. Many 'green' people might be persuaded to join, but until the cost of not-switching is much higher people will not switch. The key is not in how much you save by changing, but how much it costs you not moving. I run car already and the idea of saving money seems nice but do I think the 'hassle' of change is worth it? BUT if my costs were to suddenly double I would maybe be 'forced' to consider alternatives, even if they may have being making me a saving in the first place. Conspiracies may point to dodgy-dealings, and i'm sure an amount of pressure by companies has occured. Though i assume the 'pro electric' lobby have also tried to use their influeence also.
10
Posted at 10/16/2006 1:31pm by kayne001
the best choice isn't oil or electric. Granted electric cars use less eneergy. (yes we all know how electricity is produced, however tell me this what is more economical? a bus or a car? Bus would win simply because of the amount of people it can carry at once, especially since you'd have at least 20 car seating two in each (just averaging) The electric car just uses electricity although from an oil or nuclear plant, however regular cars use up fuel each and everyone of them. You guys must haven't been to this site recently cause there are posts that have electric cars that go 250 miles per charge (Tesla? i forget) The car with the lithium ion battery, I forget the name. However when that battery goes your in deep .... I think hybrid electric/gas or e/ethanol or e/water or e/something is the best way to go. And to jasper, yeah ok europe is so much better than the States (sarcasm) Although I do wish we'd join the planet and switch to metric system fully. Everyone is "building" a fusion reactor. Why do not in the US always say things like that?
11
Posted at 10/16/2006 1:34pm by kayne001
(last sentence if you wanna call it that) I meant "why do people always like say things like that? It's like high school just with countries."
12
Posted at 10/16/2006 3:48pm by bruno uchoa
i duno way but i cant watch it!
13
Posted at 10/16/2006 6:10pm by Tony
You guys are missing the point. Products succeed and fail based on the market. The GM electric car never had that chance because you could NOT buy it. I'm sure that if it was possible to purchase, we'd see some of them on the road. Seeing it on the road would be the best advertising for electric car. Since we don't see them, out of sight out of mind... we just keep buying gasoline cars. There is definitely a conspiracy to keep alternative fuel vehicles under wraps. Just think, who's the leader in alternative fuel cars now? Japan!
14
Posted at 10/17/2006 03:17am by its about time» Blog Archive » links for 2006-10-16
[...] TechEBlog » Who Killed the Electric Car? (tags: electric car autmotive industry corporate environment greenhouse) [...]
15
Posted at 10/18/2006 5:45pm by Ali
Where did the the movie go ?
16
Posted at 10/18/2006 9:14pm by dave
See the movie before you comment. The electric car was a great thing and it is something the world desparately needs but it was killed by big oil, and the car companies as well as the current US government.
17
Posted at 10/19/2006 1:07pm by jonny
jonny
18
Posted at 10/26/2006 06:26am by hello
why can't i watch the film?
19
Posted at 10/26/2006 06:27am by hello
why cant i watch the film
20
Posted at 11/15/2006 5:09pm by George
What is the difference between hydrogen gas and gasoline absolutley nothing. It takes 3 liters of gas to make one liter equivalent of hydrogen. And of course hydrogen will come from fossil fuel because it takes 5 times the energy to propel a car with electricity derived hydrogen as it does an electric car. Finally, hydrogen is freakin dangerous - it is 10 times more combustible then gasoline. That means a little static when you fill up the gas and bye bye. And hydrogen is freakin expensive - cars will sell for triple the price of ICE cars. Electric cars are cheap, getting better and safer everyday since there is so much research on batteries now and solar thanks to nanosolar costs 1/10 it used to before.
21
Posted at 12/14/2006 01:22am by Car Repair
Markus It was quite useful reading, found some interesting details about this topic. Thanks.
22
Posted at 12/15/2006 02:29am by Electric Car
Markus It was quite useful reading, found some interesting details about this topic. Thanks.
23
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