Who Killed the Electric Car? - ***Extra Post***

Last weekend I watched a movie called "Who Killed the Electric Car." It is a documentary made in 2006 explaining the reasons why electric cars haven't been successful in the United States so far. The film is very informative and gives many differs viewpoints. This makes it very important to read the titles of the speakers when they are interviewed, because if someone said "electric cars are ridiculous" it would have little meaning coming from the CEO of an oil company.

The film discusses the reasons why an electric car called the "EV 1" was recalled in 2003 by its maker, General Motors. It is difficult to summarize "Who ruined the future of the electric car and why?" in a single sentence because many people are responsible. Many suspects are listed throughout the film such as American car companies, Oil companies and the California Air Resources Board (C.A.R.B.).

Towards the end of the movie, the "verdicts" were reached.

Car companies are guilty because they actively tried to recall electric cars fearing they would not sell as well as their gas-powered cars. They tried to reverse rules making them build electric cars.

Oil companies are guilty because they put economic pressure on car companies to stay away from electric cars, as this would cause the oil companies to lose money.

Batteries were ruled innocent because scientists believe that in several years battery technology would have developed enough for electric cars to be competitive with, if not better than, gas-powered cars.

The California Air Resources Board (C.A.R.B.) is guilty because speaker Alan C. Lloyd, chairman of C.A.R.B., undermined the rules that California had made to require car companies to make electric cars.

Consumers are also guilty because when many Americans think of sensible energy policy, they think that they are being forced "to drive a small car" and essentially "live like a European."

The federal government is also guilty because they sided with the oil and car companies in recalling the cars, and instead the government also gave huge amounts of money towards the production of fuel cell cars.

Hydrogen fuel cells are guilty as well, because electric cars have technologically surpassed them, and it would takes decades and billions of dollars before hydrogen powered cars were a viable solution.