Oil companies aren't the only ones profiting from a spike in prices at the gas pump. It's likely also to boost the prospects of "Who Killed the Electric Car?" a likable if partisan post-mortem on the now-defunct auto. Writer-helmer Chris Paine leaves no doubt he's a huge fan of the car nor who he considers the bad guys to be in this tale of a technological dream deferred. But a bipartisan attitude and an optimistic conclusion (added after its Sundance screening as a work-in-progress) give the doc a chance at a wide audaud and media coverage for its June 28 rollout.
With Martin Sheen's canned-sounding voice as narrator, pic calls for an alternative to the smog-spewing automobile, particularly given the link between carbon dioxide emissions and global warning. GM launched research in 1987 for a mass-produced electric car, with engineer Alan Cocconi designing the power system that allowed the vehicle -- the EV-1 -- terrific acceleration.
According to Paine's report, the car's beginning was in California, the first state to pass legislation requiring automakers to make a portion of their future fleets with zero-emission engines. The EV-1 fan club ranges from Mel GibsonMel Gibson to the pic's hero, Chelsea Sexton, who worked on the EV-1 team, is now a vigorous activist for electric cars, and is seen throughout the doc leading protests against her former employer.
The film recalls -- though never entirely explains -- the efforts by manufacturers of e-cars to both make them and squelch them. But a finger is also pointed at government for failing to enforce its original mandate.
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117930452?categoryid=31&cs=1&s=h&p=0I'll watch it imagining that President Bartlett is narrating. :)
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