fuel | Rangewriter

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alternative fuels, Automobile industry, big business, cars, collusion, electric battery, electric cars, energy environment, fuel, General Motors, monopoly, Revenge of the Electric Car, Tesla Motors, Who Killed The Electric Car?

I hope the American automobile industry is wearing out its brakes over the fight to produce better alternatives to the status-quo. Wedded to the petroleum industry, American car manufacturers have resolutely refused to embrace anything that doesn’t rely upon more oil extraction. In my opinion, they’ve harmed themselves nearly as much as they’ve harmed the planet in their blind refusal to lead the way to alternatives such as electricity to power automobiles.

The rise and abrupt fall of the 1990’s foray into electric battery-powered vehicles is documented in the award-winning 2006 film, Who Killed the Electric Car? The film, directed by Chris Paine explores the history of alternative energy vehicles and the intertwined roles of the auto and oil industries and the US government in the demise of electric technology in the States.

Fortunately, there are always individuals and organizations with vision who rise above the hurdles placed in front of them. Tesla Motors is such a company. With Tesla emerging from the research and development phase and ramping up its production phase with two fully electric car models assembled in a former General Motors plant in California, director Paine revisited the realm of electric automobiles. His new documentary, Revenge of the Electric Car, opens in select theatres this weekend. (Oct. 21 – 23) In this film, Paine examines Tesla’s industry-catalyzing role in the resurgence and rise of electric vehicles. There is hope!