BuzzFlash Reviews
Who Killed the Electric Car? (DVD) Now Shipping
Directed by Chris Paine. Narrated by Martin Sheen.
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In essence then, it's a murder story: Who killed the electric car?
The answer to that question involves greed at the expense of conserving our planet for future generations.
"Traditional gasoline-powered cars produce harmful carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming. To get an idea of just how much greenhouse gases are emitted, consider this: in the United States alone, approximately 6.6 tons are emitted by the average person in a given year. About 82% of these emissions are from the burning of fossil fuels used to power our cars.
Contrast that with electric vehicles, which produce zero emissions and therefore do not contribute to the global warming epidemic."
It's a crime with plenty of suspects but no arrests.
Because it's not illegal to make profiteering decisions that destroy the planet -- and the Bush Administration wants to keep it that way.
This is a fascinating story of how solutions to global warming have been available for sometime, but have willfully been removed from the marketplace.
An absolutely stunning story of corporate irresponsiblity that should be prosecutable.
Eye opening and mind boggling.
From the "Who Killed the Electric Car" website:
"GM, Ford, Honda, Chrysler, Nissan, and Toyota all developed electric vehicle programs in response to California�s zero emission mandate�and most ended up crushing at least part of their EV fleets. Even as the automakers launched their EV programs, they undermined their success every step of the way. Why?
Electric cars are a threat to the profitability of the conventional gas-powered auto industry. GM said that it spent more than $1 billion to market and develop the EV1. Not only would a successful electric car program cannibalize sales of conventional cars, but the electric car costs the auto industry in other ways: lacking an engine, it saves the driver the cost of replacement parts, motor oil, filters, and spark plugs. The EV1�s regenerative braking system, in which the car�s electronic controls handled much of the work of slowing down the car, spared the car�s mechanical brake system from wear. Brake parts and repair is a billion-plus dollar industry alone. The EV1�s efficiency was a winner for consumers but a loser for the auto industry.
When GM introduced the EV1, it was years ahead of American and Japanese competition in electric car technology. In the coming years it could have capitalized on its lead by developing these cars and advanced hybrids. Instead GM and other US carmakers would focus on battling with the State of California to kill electric vehicles. The consequences of these decisions reverberate today."
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