Who Killed The Electric Car

[SDMomChef]

I didn't want to hijack the thread on gas prices. I watched this documentary over the weekend on a whim, and I was absolutely stunned. I'm not a big conspiracy theory person, but to see what happened with the electric car absolutely shocked me. Car manufacturers that would not let people buy the cars?! Destroying cars in perfect condition that people wanted to buy - for no reason. I'm still in shock....

[KristiB]

I saw it in the theater and left wanting an electric car.

They just destroyed them :( Perfectly good cars. Squashed.

I thought the argument against hydrogen was intriguing too.

[Loremma]

I'd take an electric car after watching that documentary. Very interesting.

[mlynn]

I haven't seen this film, although it sounds interesting. This topic brings to mind a class I took as an undergraduate about the impact the automobile had on shaping America--most interesting class I ever took. Did you know that the Big 3--was it 3 back then?--quietly bought up streetcar and trolley systems in major cities then had them removed? I guess I shouldn't be shocked.

mlynn

[applecrisp]

That sounds interesting.... was the documentary on tv, rental or ....? I would be interested in checking it out.

Thanks,

[KristiB]

It was in the theaters. Now it's out on DVD

[applecrisp]

thanks Kristi...

[tennisashoe]

If you like to rent two movies at a time, like we do, pair this one with An Inconvenient Truth. Both are very educational. Might honk you off a bit, but really important to understand.

[SDMomChef]

I have to admit...I fell asleep in An Inconvenient Truth - and it got to be a little to much Al Gore for me. It did make me become WAY more conscious of the environment. But, Who Killed the Electric Car, just absolutely floored me - so many different manufacturers with a viable, environmentally sound car that people wanted, and then took the cars away and smashed them.

[cminmd]

It just kills me that American companies threw away such an amazing competative advantage. Instead of running with the legislation to make a new niche market they poured millions into killing the legislation and boxing off the technology. So frustrating. This is why Toyota and Honda are again the top two most profitable car companies and Ford is near bankrupcy and Crysler is announcing more layoffs. My great uncle (by marriage) is a math professor in SoCal and he had an EV1. He loved it, wanted to buy it, but they took it back right from campus. He said he was so humiliated because it looked like he was getting his car repossessed. No, he just wasn't allowed to buy it.
What was amazing was that when he would tell people the story, they would not believe him. It seems inconceivable to most Americans that a company would not want to you to buy a product- but it was all true. You ask who would hide the cure for the common cold? Tylenol, Sudafed, Robatussin- that's who.