I had this movie coming to me, but as I stopped for gas and paid $4.04 per gallon, it made me more intrigued to see this movie even more.

In 1996 electric cars appeared in CA. 10 years later they were gone. The documentary discusses comparison between gas and electric cars. In fact there was more electric on the road in the early 1900s than gas...

In California believe it or not we have smog alerts. Well in 1990 there was stage 1 smog alerts. These were the worst kind almost akin to a category 5 hurricane if that helps you understand the severity of scale....bad health.

So the California Clean Air Resources Board passed a law that stated a certain percentage of a companies vehicle fleet needed to be zero emissions by a certain date. This was a progressive law that increased the percentage number every few years. The Zero Emission Vehicle Mandate passed and it stated 2% by 1998 5% by 2001 etc. Great! You say.

Well lucky for GM they had recently won a race with a car called the Sun Racer. It was a solar powered vehicle. This gave GM a head start. They developed an amazing car the outpreformed gas cars, not the solar but a plug in electric. Great! You say. If you didn't have to go more than 120 miles a day perfect for you. California Air resources board saw the car as an opportunity for adopting the mandate of car emissions.No gas! Great! You say.

It eventually became developed under the Saturn badge of cars It was the EV-1



This car would be leased for about 250-500$ per month. Great! You say.

Soon other companies followed suit Ford even had a Ranger electric truck! I would buy that in a second today.

So as the movie unfolds you begin to witness the systematical murder of the electric car.

Some examples:

• Oil industry sponsored consumer organizations to get car charging stations removed because they were "unattractive"
  
• Paid for stories in magazines that embellished the disadvantages of the car
  
• Car companies said there was no demand
• The White House under Bush joined the fight against it. Bush makes a announcement to fund hydrogen powered autos at the same time even though Hydrogen was not even viable
  
• April 4th 2003 CA kills the electric car mandate even though the vote was 74-4 for keeping it!
  
• They only let customers lease them. And for some reason GM wouldn't renew leases nor sell the cars
  

Ironically they had a funeral for the EV1s on the same day they hit another level one smog warning for the first time in 5 years. By 2004 there was only one left on the road privately owned. The EV 1s were being taken out of state off lmits to the public to even view the cars. Huell Houser on a California Green TV show discovers shredding of EV vehicles by chance and is astonished.

Eventually the Bush administration passed the $100,000 tax break to buy big gas guzzlers such as the Hummer. An electric car tax break was only $4000.



The movie goes through the different "suspects" on who killed the car: oil, auto makers, consumers, batteries etc

It also highlights the average car on the road now is less eficient than it was 20 years ago. There has been no change in required fuel economy since 1985. In fact no one since Carter has changed energy policy.Ronald regan removed solar panels from white house roof that Carter installed. It was a sad time the 1980s and 1990s for energy advancements.

The administration prompted OPEC to drop fuel prices so people wouldnt go to alternative ways of driving ..."keeping the junkie hooked up". Great! You say.

Finally on March 15th 2005, the last of the EV1s is destroyed. GM disabled even one in the museum so it couoldnt be driven. IN the end they reveal who is guilty and innocent...I will tell you it wasn't the batteries.

All I can say is rent this and let your jaw drop. Oh and be sure you watch the deleted scenes.

I am convinced that it can save America.

So as you fill up this week at $4.00+ per gallon ask your Congressman and Auto dealer, "who killed the electric car".