Who Killed the Electric Car?

We finally saw "Who Killed the Electric Car?" last night. What an appropriate flick to watch as the Big 3 Detroit autowreck-maker executives fly private jets to demand taxpayer-funded bailouts. It's a frighteningly insightful documentary on how the practical implementation of GM's EV1 electric car was killed by the auto industry and big oil.

A few of the most interesting pieces of the film have to do with video footage recording Alan Lloyd's conflict of interests and parliamentary process actions during his pivotal role in California's hearings and decision-making to install "pumps" for electric cars around the state, the profit motivations of the Big 3 to continue producing internal combustion cars that require high levels of maintenance compared to no/low maintenance electric cars, and GM's sale to Texaco of the rights to Stan Ovshinsky's practical and inexpensive battery technology that already could have replaced oil consumption in the U.S. The battery itself made the electric car practical, affordable, and workable. GM quietly sold the patent and rights to the technology to Texaco in 2000. When there are trillions of profits for the Bush family and other oil interests to make over the next 50 years, of course these guys would want to suffocate such progress. 

Now, if you are an american, you get to go work another few days each year to bail out these guys. It's incredible how powerful and unsustainable the U.S. makers really are, and how well they commiserate with Big oil. Be sure to watch this movie now.