Event

WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?

WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR?

$9 Members / $12 Public
Includes Reception

Special Guests: Speakers: David G. Schieren, Chair of Education & Outreach Committee

of Greater L.I. Clean Cities Coalition; Michael Anzalone, Founder and Secretary of the L.I. Electric Auto Association (LIEAA); Mike Savino, Member of LIEAA; Joshua Tomel, Program Dir. of LIEAA

It was among the most efficient production cars ever built. It ran on electricity, produced no emissions and catapulted American technology to the forefront of the automotive industry. So why did General Motors crush its fleet of EV1 electric vehicles in the Arizona desert? Who Killed the Electric Car? chronicles the life and mysterious death of the GM EV1. The year is 1990. California is in a pollution crisis. Desperate for a solution, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) targets auto exhaust. The Zero Emissions Mandate (ZEV) required 2% of new vehicles sold in California to be emission-free by 1998, 10% by 2003. GMs EV1 electric vehicle was a revolutionary car, requiring no gas, no oil changes, no mufflers, and rare brake maintenance. But the fanfare surrounding the EV1's launch disappeared and the cars followed. Was it lack of consumer demand, or were other persuasive forces at work? 6 years later... The fleet is gone. How could this happen? Did anyone bother to examine the evidence? Yes, in fact, someone did. And it was murder. The electric car threatened the status quo. Who Killed the Electric Car? investigates automakers, legislators, engineers, and car enthusiasts to piece the puzzle together. Who Killed the Electric Car? is not just about the EV1. It's about how this allegory for failurereflected in air quality and the current state of the American automobile industrycan also be a shining symbol of society's potential to better itself and the world around it. While there's plenty of outrage for lost time, there's also time for renewal as technology is reborn in Who Killed the Electric Car?

USA, 2006, 92 min.