History Film / WhoKilledTheElectricCar

** While it is technically possible to build an electric vehicle with a 300-mile (500-km) range, they started out as prohibitively expensive; the Tesla Roadster, built using better technology than was available in the 1990s, only boasted a 240-mile range and a $100,000+ price tag. The Nissan Leaf, an electric vehicle produced for the general public circa 2010, had a range similar to the [=EVs=] from the 1990s and was not cheap, in part due to its $15,000 battery pack which Nissan may or may not have been taking a loss on. By mid-2021, [=EVs=] with 300-mile ranges had become fairly expensive instead of prohibitively so. In 2023, $100K will buy you as much as 400 miles of range (the Tesla Model S Long Range); two other Tesla models ("Long Range" variants of the Model 3 and Model Y) as well as one version of the Ford Mustang Mach-E (a crossover instead of a sports car) will give you 300-plus miles for no more than $55K; and the base model of the Hyundai Ioniq 6 offers over 350 miles for less than $50K.

** One argument against electric cars was that they would still contribute to pollution since much of California's energy was produced by burning coal. While that is partially true, overall emissions from driving an electric car would still be lower, at least when considering only the power cycle. The contributions of [=EVs=] to pollution remain a matter of debate when considering the entire life cycle, including mining of raw materials, manufacturing, and disposal. Studies have been all over the place on ''that'' point. On top of that, because [=EVs=] are much heavier than internal-combustion vehicles of comparable exterior dimensions, replacing all current passenger vehicles with [=EVs=] of comparable external dimensions will cause roads to wear out faster. Due to the added weight, EV tires also wear out faster, increasing particulate emissions, though that doesn't come close to canceling out the emissions saved by going electric in the first place. The added weight also creates issues surrounding the safety of multilevel parking garages that were built to accommodate internal-combustion vehicles. Not to mention that many of the rare earth metals required for current EV batteries are mined in developing countries with little or no environmental controls, with accusations of exploitative child/slave labor in several key countries.

** One argument against electric cars was that they would still contribute to pollution since much of California's energy was produced by burning coal. While that is partially true, overall emissions from driving an electric car would still be lower, at least when considering only the power cycle. The contributions of [=EVs=] to pollution remain a matter of debate when considering the entire life cycle, including mining of raw materials, manufacturing, and disposal. Studies have been all over the place on ''that'' point. On top of that, because [=EVs=] are much heavier than internal-combustion vehicles of comparable exterior dimensions, replacing all current passenger vehicles with [=EVs=] of comparable external dimensions will cause roads to wear out faster. Due to the added weight, EV tires also wear out faster, increasing particulate emissions, though that doesn't come close to canceling out the emissions saved by going electric in the first place. Not to mention that many of the rare earth metals required for current EV batteries are mined in developing countries with little or no environmental controls, with accusations of exploitative child/slave labor in several key countries.

-> In 1996, electric cars began to appear on roads all over California. They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust, and ran without gasoline. Ten years later, these futuristic cars were almost entirely gone. What happened? Why must we be haunted by the ghost of the electric car?
-->-- '''Opening Narration'''


''Who Killed The Electric Car?'' is a 2006 documentary directed by Chris Paine and distributed by Sony Classic Pictures. It is narrated by Creator/MartinSheen.

* HummerDinger: The Hummer is an obvious target in a movie about electric cars. But what was glaring was the fact that the US government was giving business owners who bought Hummers ''ten of thousands of dollars'' in tax deductions, while people who bought a fuel efficient car got only a few thousand dollars.

** While it is technically possible to build an electric vehicle with a 300-mile range, they started out as prohibitively expensive; the Tesla Roadster, built using better technology than was available in the 1990s, only boasted a 240 mile range and a $100,000+ price tag. The Nissan Leaf, an electric vehicle produced for the general public circa 2010, had a range similar to the [=EVs=] from the 1990s and was not cheap, in part due to its $15,000 battery pack which Nissan may or may not have been taking a loss on. By mid-2021, [=EVs=] with 300-mile ranges had become fairly expensive instead of prohibitively so. Nowadays, $100K will buy you as much as 400 miles of range (the Tesla Model S Long Range), and two other Tesla models ("Long Range" variants of the Model 3 and Model Y) as well as one version of the Ford Mustang Mach-E (a crossover instead of a sports car) will give you 300-plus miles for no more than $55K.

** One argument against electric cars was that they would still contribute to pollution since much of California's energy was produced by burning coal. While that is partially true, overall emissions from driving an electric car would still be lower, at least when considering only the power cycle. The contributions of [=EVs=] to pollution remain a matter of debate when considering the entire life cycle, including mining of raw materials, manufacturing, and disposal. Studies have been all over the place on ''that'' point. On top of that, because [=EVs=] are much heavier than internal-combustion vehicles of comparable exterior dimensions, replacing all current passenger vehicles with [=EVs=] of comparable external dimensions will cause roads to wear out faster. Due to the added weight, EV tires also wear out faster, producing more particulate emissions (though not as much as the emissions saved by going electric in the first place). Not to mention that many of the rare earth metals required for current EV batteries are mined in developing countries with little or no environmental controls, with accusations of exploitative child/slave labor in several key countries.

** One argument against electric cars was that they would still contribute to pollution since much of California's energy was produced by burning coal. While that is partially true, overall emissions from driving an electric car would still be lower, at least when considering only the power cycle. The contributions of [=EVs=] to pollution remain a matter of debate when considering the entire life cycle, including mining of raw materials, manufacturing, and disposal. Studies have been all over the place on ''that'' point. On top of that, because [=EVs=] are much heavier than internal-combustion vehicles of comparable exterior dimensions, tires wear out considerably faster, producing more particulate emissions. Not to mention that many of the rare earth metals required for current EV batteries are mined in developing countries with little or no environmental controls, with accusations of exploitative child labor in several key countries.

* HummerDinger: The Hummer is an obvious AcceptableTarget in a movie about electric cars. But what was glaring was the fact that the US government was giving business owners who bought Hummers ''ten of thousands of dollars'' in tax deductions, while people who bought a fuel efficient car got only a few thousand dollars.

** One argument against electric cars was that they would still contribute to pollution since much of California's energy was produced by burning coal. While that is partially true, overall emissions from driving an electric car would still be lower, at least when considering only the power cycle. The contributions of [=EVs=] to pollution remain a matter of debate when considering the entire life cycle, including mining of raw materials, manufacturing, and disposal. Studies have been all over the place on ''that'' point.

** One argument against electric cars was that they would still contribute to pollution since much of California's energy was produced by burning coal. While that is partially true, overall emissions from driving an electric car would still be lower, at least when considering only the power cycle. The contributions of [=EVs=] to pollution remain a matter of debate when considering the entire production process, including mining of raw materials, production, and disposal. Studies have been all over the place on ''that'' point.

** One argument against electric cars was that they would still be contributed to pollution since much of California's energy was produced by burning coal. While that is partially true, overall emissions from driving an electric car would still be lower.

** Policy makers such as the California Air Resources Board where pushed into rejecting the mandate, and into pursuing alternatives that were uneconomical and distracted from already viable technologies. The head of the California Air Resources Board when the ZEV mandate was dissolved, Alan Lloyd, was in fact head of the Fuel Cell Partnership, which promoted hydrogen powered vehicles, which the film argues is not a viable technology

** While it is technically possible to build an electric vehicle with a 300 mile range, they are prohibitively expensive; the Tesla Roadster, built using better technology than was available in the 1990s, only boasted a 240 mile range and a $100,000+ price tag. The Nissan Leaf, an electric vehicle produced for the general public circa 2010, had a range similar to the [=EVs=] from the 1990s and was not cheap, in part due to its $15,000 battery pack which Nissan may or may not have been taking a loss on.

* RayOfHopeEnding: While the cancellation of the [=EV1=] program may have stopped mass produced electric vehicles for a time, converted [=EVs=], prototypes like the Tesla Roadster, and looming energy and climate limits would mean the electric car would return. This renaissance was later explored in ''Revenge Of The Electric Car.''

* SpiritualSuccessor: The [=EV1=] was this to the Impact concept car, which was a successor to the solar-powered Sunraycer. The Chevy Volt is considered a descendant of the [=EV1=].

* MetaphoricallyTrue: While it is technically possible to build an electric vehicle with a 300 mile range, they are prohibitively expensive; the Tesla Roadster, built using better technology than was available in the 1990s, only boasted a 240 mile range and a $100,000+ price tag. The Nissan Leaf, an electric vehicle produced for the general public circa 2010, had a range similar to the [=EVs=] from the 1990s and was not cheap, in part due to its $15,000 battery pack which Nissan may or may not have been taking a loss on.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive: See UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories

* StylisticSuck: GM apparently invoked this with their [[http://scottgoodson.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834516bfa69e201053618a333970c-pi various]] [[http://scottgoodson.typepad.com/.a/6a00d834516bfa69e2010536104815970b-800wi ads]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3g7cgUm7o9k commercials]] to discourage demand for the cars, and to educate consumers as little as possible about them.