Who Killed The Electric Car?

Chris Paine
USA
2006

Our tale is a lot more than just a car story. It demonstrates why America is having such a tough time getting out of the 20th century and breaking its addiction to gasoline.

92", 35mm
Color, English

about the film

It was among the fastest, most efficient production cars ever built. It ran on electricity, produced no emissions and catapulted American technology to the forefront of the automotive industry. A typical maintenance checkup for the EV1 consisted of replenishing the windshield washer fluid and a tire rotation. The lucky few who drove it never wanted to give it up. So why did General Motors crush its fleet of EV1 electric vehicle in the Arizona desert? Was it lack of consumer demand as carmakers claimed, or were other persuasive forces at work? Who Killed the Electric Car? chronicles the life and mysterious death of the EV1, launched in 1996, examining the cultural and economic ripple effects caused by its conception and how they reverberated through the halls of government and big business, with shocking effect.

about the director

Chris Paine was an EV-1 driver from 1998-2003, before GM confiscated his car. Who Killed The Electric Car? is his first feature documentary. Before becoming a full-time filmmaker, Paine founded Internet Outfitter, a marketing and customized software service provider. He also co-founded the robotics developer Mondo-tronics. On the activist front, he worked on the Nuclear Freeze and the Nevada Nuclear Test Site actions in the 1980s.

awards

2006 Telluride Special Jury Prize
2006 Canberra Audience Award
2007 San Francisco Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
Deauville Film Festival
Seattle Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
Berlin Film Festival
Atlanta Film Festival

screenings

February 19 Tuesday, 3:00 PM AFM Fitaş Beyoğlu 2

February 23 Saturday, 5:00 PM AFM Fitaş Beyoğlu 2

credits

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