Grist talks with the makers of Who Killed the Electric Car?
In the 1990s, California required automakers to introduce zero-emission cars. GM put out the electric EV-1, a sporty coupe that inspired head-over-heels devotion among the few people who got their hands on one. Then California backed down, the car leases ran out, and GM took the EVs back and squashed them. Who’s to blame? Today, Hannah Eaves interviews the makers of Who Killed the Electric Car?, a documentary film debuting this week that explores the question. In Gristmill, David Roberts continues that conversation, digging into questions of peak oil, public transportation, and why the U.S. is starting to look an awful lot like the Soviet Union.
