Will The U.S. See This Movie Documentary Announced In The News?
Oil Companies, Federal Government, General Motor Killed This Alternative Mode Of Transportation.
For Greed, Power? You Decide....

The Richmond and Twickenham Green Party held a public screening of the film “Who Killed the Electric Car?” recently. James Page (left in picture), explained how he thought the time may now have arrived for electric cars. Not only do they have a high overall efficiency (as shown in a recent WWF report3 ) but en masse they offer a partial solution to the inevitable problem we will reach with wind power: the storing of electricity.

Bamber Gascoigne (right) then introduced the film, andemphasised how his G-Wiz was such fun to drive. He had only run out of electricity once, and on that occasion a corner shop was happy to oblige.

There were at least two other EV drivers in the audience. Philip Day from Goingreen had brought along the latest the model: the G-Wiz i and was able to answer technical questions. Mike Wilsdon, from Kew, brought pictures of a 1945 plastic bodied French vehicle. He alsoh as a diverse collection of antique cycles collected over the years from various countries, which he is happy to show visitors by arrangement.

Several manufacturers are working on ‘plug-in hybrids’ (hybrid hybrids, if you like) making use of the higher performance lithium-ion batteries. A French designed car that stores energy with compressed air is also under development. And yes, a sequel to the film is due out in the autumn. If there is enough demand to cover costs we might show it locally. http://www.stmgrts.org.uk/archives/2008/05/who_killed_the_electric_car.h...

In 1996, General Motors (G.M.) launched the first modern-day commercially available electric car, the EV1. The car required no fuel and could be plugged in for recharging at home and at a number of so-called battery parks.

Many of the people who leased the car, including a number of celebrities, said the car drove like a dream.

"...the EV1 was a high performer. It could do a U-turn on a dime; it was incredibly quiet and smooth. And it was fast. I could beat any Porsche off the line at a stoplight. I loved it," Actress, Alexandra Paul told NOW.

Trailer: Who Killed the Electric Car?
[Requires RealPlayer]After California regulators saw G.M.s electric car in the late 1980s, they launched a zero-emissions vehicle program in 1990 to clean up the state's smoggy skies.

Under the program, two percent of all new cars sold had to be electric by 1998 and 10 percent by 2003.

But it was not to be. A little over 1,000 EV1s were produced by G.M. before the company pulled the plug on the project in 2002 due to insufficient demand. Other major car makers also ceased production of their electric vehicles.

In the wake of a legal challenge from G.M. and DaimlerChrysler, California amended its regulations and abandoned its goals. Shortly thereafter, automakers began reclaiming and dismantling their electrics as they came off lease.

Actress Alexandra Paul in her EV1, G.M.'s electric car.Some suggest that G.M. -- which says it invested some $1 billion in the EV1 -- never really wanted the cars to take off. They say G.M. intentionally sabotaged their own marketing efforts because they feared the car would cannibalize its existing business. G.M. disputes these claims.

Take a trip with us this week as we find out more about why the electric car slipped off the road. Next time on NOW.

"Who Killed the Electric Car" appears in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on June 28th and in other theaters throughout the country sometime this summer.

For more on the film, visit Who Killed the Electric Car?
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/