Who Killed the Electric Car?

  • Paul Scott and Barbara with Zero electric motorcycle  [photo: Charles Ryan-Barber]

    Most of the U.S. was unaware that modern electric cars got their start in California between 1996 and 2002. Many of the earliest owners and EV advocates from those days remain involved 20 years later, though their names may be familiar only to a small group of activists. One of those people is Paul Scott, who's been part of several important events in the early history of modern EVs. What follows are his words, lightly edited for style and clarity by Green Car Reports. DON'T MISS: Modern electric cars at 20: from EV1 to Bolt EV, where are we now? (Dec 2016) Life is a journey. I was a young...

  • John McElroy, Salim Morsy, Chelsea Sexton, John Voelcker on Autoline TV at NY Auto Show, Apr 2016
    Electric car predictions: panel video from NY Auto Show

    Every so often, Green Car Reports is asked to take part in panels and industry events discussing the future of advanced auto technologies—particularly electric cars. Two weeks ago, at the New York Auto Show, site editor John Voelcker joined electric-car advocate Chelsea Sexton and Salim Morsy...

  • BMW ActiveE electric cars from test fleet after crushing, seen on CA 91, May 2014
    Crushed BMW ActiveE Test Fleet Headed For Scrapyard (UPDATED)

    Just two weeks ago, drivers of the BMW ActiveE fleet of electric test vehicles were delighted to see that their cars would have a second life. BMW announced that it would redeploy 80 ActiveE electric cars to its DriveNow car-sharing program in San Francisco. MUST READ: 2014 BMW i3 Test Drive: No...

  • GM EV1 and Tesla Model S electric cars, at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, Oct 2013
    GM EV1 & Tesla Model S: Looking At 20 Years Of Electric Cars

    Last week, we were struck by a single photo that captured electric cars across two decades. The image, showing a GM EV1 and a Tesla Model S on the Worcester Polytechnic Institute campus, was posted on Facebook by Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA]. More than anything we've seen in a while, that photo showed...

  • 2014 Cadillac ELR revealed at 2013 Detroit Auto Show
    GM States The Obvious: 'The Electric Car Is Not Dead'

    Well, duh. The day after it unveiled the 2014 Cadillac ELR range-extended electric luxury coupe, GM's North America chief Mark Reuss told attendees at a trade event that "the electric car is not dead." “That’s despite what you might hear, and despite what you might read about Americans...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt test drive, Michigan, October 2010
    Marketing Electric Cars As 'Medicine' = Fail, Movie Producer Says

    Why would you buy a plug-in electric car? To save money on gas? To save the planet? Maybe. But that's not how they should be marketed, said Hollywood producer Dean Devlin. "The Volt is an amazing, groundbreaking car," he said. "The Leaf is a gigantic breakthrough--but they're being sold as...

  • 'Revenge of the Electric Car' movie

    Last week we told you that the 2011 sequel to Who Killed The Electric Car? -- Revenge Of The Electric Car -- had finally been released on DVD. At the time, we pointed out that the film would also be available on select cable TV on-demand services, but neglected to point out that it was also available for a limited period online, courtesy of over-the-top Internet streaming service Hulu. As part of a one-week exclusive deal between the film’s production company and Hulu, anyone in the U.S. with a broadband Internet connection can watch the film for free by visiting the Hulu website before...

  • 'Revenge of the Electric Car' premiere: director Chris Paine on the red carpet
    Revenge Of The Electric Car Director Joins Live Webchat As Film Is Released

    Back in April, our own John Voelcker was lucky enough to attend the world premiere of Chris Paine’s much-anticipated sequel to Who Killed The Electric Car? Called Revenge Of The Electric Car, the second film continues where the first left off, telling the story of how the electric car was...

  • 'Revenge of the Electric Car' movie
    Electric Car Revenge is Sweet in Amsterdam With 100 Nissan Leafs

    The Amsterdam premiere of the move "Revenge of the Electric Car" is expected to attract fully 100 Nissan Leaf electric cars from all over Europe.

  • 'Revenge of the Electric Car' premiere: Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk on red carpet
    Elon Musk, Bob Lutz On Red Carpet At 'Revenge of Electric Car' Premiere

    Every movie has to have a premiere, and every premiere has to have a red carpet. When the red carpet is on a Manhattan sidewalk, with plenty of passers-by stopping to gawk, and many of the celebs are arriving in electric cars, things get a little more complicated. Still, last night's premiere of...

  • 'Revenge of the Electric Car' movie: Elon Musk and Bob Lutz
    Review: 'Revenge Of The Electric Car' Optimistic, Accurate, Lacks A Villain

    From Michael Moore's Roger And Me in 1989 to Chris Paine's 2006 Who Killed The Electric Car?, there's no shortage of documentaries that portray auto-industry executives as incompetent, bumbling, short-sighted, arrogant fools. So it may be a surprise that merely five years later, two global...

  • GM EV1 Anti-Crush Protests,  Screenshot, Who Killed The Electric Car?
    'Who Killed The Electric Car?' Sequel Premieres Tonight (Video)

    It's taken as gospel by many of the people who have seen it since its 2006 release, and there's no denying its influence. "Who Killed the Electric?" seemingly stung General Motors enough that the company unveiled the Chevrolet Volt concept in 2007 and then, startled by its popularity, decided to...

  • 2011 Chevrolet Volt

    It's been quite a year for the 2011 Chevy Volt, GM's range-extended electric car that went on sale last month. It garnered a slew of awards from various car magazines and other auto media, and now it's capped the year by winning the prestigious North American Car of the Year award. Voted on by dozens of automotive journalists and presented at the Detroit Auto Show, the nominees for the NACoTY award were: Audi A8 Buick Regal Chevrolet Cruze Chevrolet Volt Ford Fiesta Hyundai Sonata/2.0T/Hybrid Infiniti M37/56 Jaguar XJ Kia Optima Mazda Mazda2 Nissan Juke Nissan Leaf Volkswagen Jetta Volvo S60...

  • Subaru Stella
    Who Killed the Electric Car? Subaru To Slay Plug-In Stella EV

    Back in July 2009, two Japanese automakers launched electric cars within weeks of each other. (And neither one was Nissan.) One was Mitsubishi, which put its i-MiEV five-door hatchback microcar on sale after several years of consumer tests. That car is now the best-selling electric car in the...

  • Crushed GM EV1s - Screenshot, Who Killed The Electric Car?
    Could Rising Commodity Prices Kill (Or Hurt) The Electric Car?

    At the time of this writing, oil has sprinted above $90 a barrel, silver has jumped 80-plus percent in the last year and China just announced an 11 percent decrease in exports of rare earth metals for 2011. Will these constraints on critical resources, and their inevitable steep rise in costs and...

  • GM EV1
    OK, EV1 Fans, Here's Your Chance To Vote For The Electric Car!

    The General Motors EV1 still exerts a strange fascination for electric-car fans and civilians alike. Its sleek, aerodynamic shape and pioneering all-electric drive (despite an initial range of only about 70 miles) make it an important vehicle in U.S. automotive history. Fascination has only grown...

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