The A-Picture: "Who Killed The Electric Car?"
3 Stars
by Adam Jahnke
I hate cars. I concede their usefulness and admit to loving road trips, drive-ins and a good car chase in the movies. But I hate driving, hate the constant maintenance cars require, and think that probably about half the drivers on the road today should have their licenses revoked. If this means that I was predisposed to like this expose about the short life and mysterious death of the electric car, so be it. In 1990, the state of California passed the Zero Emissions Mandate, a law aimed at curbing pollution that required a certain percentages of all vehicles sold in the state be emission-free. Within the next several years, auto manufacturers led by GM introduced electric vehicles that were just that. Today, they're all gone, as is the Mandate. Whodunit? In classic Agatha Christie style, everybody. Director Chris Paine does a great job putting the story together, laying out the facts in broad strokes, then going back to take a closer look at each of the suspects, including the auto industry, the government, even consumers like you and me. Most interesting is information about the fuel alternatives that are being pursued today, including hydrogen fuel cells. I'd have liked to hear more about the hybrids that are on the road today and how they compare to the electric car, though the reasons why the Japanese are leading the way in this technology now is eye-opening. This is a better film than An Inconvenient Truth, the other eco-doc now playing. That film suffered a bit due to its over-reliance on just one voice, no matter how well-informed Al Gore may or may not be. Paine interviews a wide range of individuals from all sides of the debate, including (inevitably, since this is a California story) celebs like Mel Gibson. Who Killed the Electric Car? isn't quite a great documentary. Some economic realities of the electric car, such as the fact that you pretty much had to be a homeowner in order to have one so you could have some place to plug it in, are glossed over a bit too lightly. But it remains a fascinating and ultimately frustrating story. By the film's conclusion, you'll be amazed any progress is ever made in the auto industry. (* * *)
