Directed by Chris Paine
Review by Jacquelin Sonderling
Five years ago, filmmaker Chris Paine seriously ticked off General Motors with his film, Who Killed the Electric Car, a searing portrait of the carmaker’s execution of the EV1. But what a difference a few years and high gas prices can make.
This time around Paine is welcomed behind the scenes to examine the nuts and bolts of this new electric car revolution. His film focuses on a small group of industry leaders: Bob Lusk, a former Detroit car exec who actually proposed that GM give another electric car a shot; Elon Musk, the dot-com billionaire who pumped his own money into the development of the Tesla; Carlos Ghosen, Nissan’s head honcho and EV skeptic who nonetheless backed the LEAF; and Greg “Gadget” Abbot, a backyard electric car converter.
Paine gained unprecedented access behind, as he refers to it, enemy lines. He’s the fly on the wall in meetings, planning sessions and performance testing. He follows the money and production problems, near disaster from the economic recession and congressional humiliation for the Detroit execs. Is it for real or for show? Difficult to say. But it’s a great overview of what’s happening with this next generation of eco-friendly cars and how the face and focus of car companies is expanding to fit the needs and desires of the buying public.
The jury’s still out on whether or not the electric car is finally here to stay. It’s clear that the EV is having at least modest success—GM’s Chevy Volt sold more cars in four months (1,500) than the EV1 leased in about five years (895). With everyone from Ford to BMW poised to enter the race, and gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon, you’ll just have to judge for yourself. This might also be your revenge, and it could be very sweet.
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1 Comment
Looking forward to the film, get the message out.