Who Killed the Electric Car?
Documentário sobre o nascimento e o assassínio do programa de veículos eléctricos (EV) da GM.
O site está cheio de informação não só sobre o filme mas, sobretudo, sobre o tema. Fica aqui uma pequena amostra (do press kit) para aguçar a curiosidade...
The Suspects
Consumers: Guilty
Batteries: Not Guilty
Oil Companies: Guilty
Car Companies: Guilty
Government: Guilty
California Air Resources Board: Guilty
Hydrogen Fuel Cell: Guilty
Timeline
The following are among the events documented in WHO KILLED THE
ELECTRIC CAR?
1979
President Jimmy Carter resolves that the U.S. will never use more
foreign oil than it imported in 1977.
1977 total U.S. oil imports (crude & refined): 8.8 million barrels/day
2005 total U.S. oil imports (crude & refined): 13.5 million barrels/day
1987
GM’s one-of-a-kind solar powered electric “Sunraycer” wins the World
Solar Challenge Race in Australia.
1988
September 1988: GM CEO (1981-1990) Roger Smith agrees to fund a
prototype for a practical consumer electric car, engineered by the
Sunraycer design team, AeroVironment.
1990
The Los Angeles basin (which includes LA, Orange, Riverside and San
Bernardino counties) issues 41 stage-one smog alerts (a stage-one
alert is called when ozone, one of the most health-damaging
components of smog, exceeds .20 parts per million.)
January 1990: The GM Impact (re-named the EV1 before commercial
release in 1996) is introduced as a concept car at the Los Angeles Auto
Show.
September 1990: The California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopts
the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, requiring that automakers’
California market share include 2% ZEVs in 1998, 5% ZEVs in 2001,
and 10% ZEVs in 2003.
1995
March 1995: The American Automobile Manufacturing Association
circulates a confidential proposal to launch a public relations
“grassroots education campaign” to repeal the CARB ZEV program.
1996
March 1996: In response to auto industry pressure, CARB makes the
ZEV mandate more flexible. A “Memorandum of Agreement” between
23
CARB and seven of the largest automakers states, in part, that the
automakers will “promote and market ZEVs (zero-emission vehicles)”
and build them in a “production capacity sufficient to meet market
demand in California.” The compromise frees automakers from
meeting the 2% ZEV quota in 1998 but still requires that 10% of all
new cars and light duty trucks in California be zero-emission,
beginning in 2003.
December 1996: The GM EV1 production electric vehicle is made
available for consumer lease at $400 - 500 a month.
1999
December 1999: GM finalizes its purchase of the Hummer-brand name
from AM General Corporation.
2000
January 2000: Despite GM’s claim that it was still committed to its
electrical vehicle program, vice-chairman Harry Pearce says that
“there is no particular need” to continue building electric vehicles. It
also begins, in the coming months, to shift production from the EV1 to
gasoline powered cars at its plant in Lansing, Michigan.
2001
October 2001: GM begins to lay off its EV1 sales team, starting with its
most successful sales specialists.
2002
January 2002: GM, DaimlerChrysler, and seven San Joaquin Valley
auto dealerships sue CARB in the U.S. District Court in Fresno to
repeal the ZEV mandate.
October 2002: The U.S. Department of Justice files a “friend of the
court brief” in support of GM and DaimlerChrysler’s lawsuit against
CARB, arguing that its ZEV mandate amounts to an attempt to
regulate fuel economy standards, which only the federal government
can do.
December 2002: Alan C. Lloyd, Ph.D., Chairman of the California Air
Resources Board, is named the 2003 Chairman of the California Fuel
Cell Partnership, an organization comprised of public agencies and
private companies that promotes fuel cell vehicle technology and
infrastructure growth.
2003
January 2003: President George W. Bush calls for research and
development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle technology in his State of
the Union Address.
January 2003: Toyota announces that it would stop production on the
RAV4 EV, citing poor sales. The RAV4 EV was the only commercial
electric vehicle made by a major automaker that could be purchased
($42,000), in addition to being leased monthly.
April 2003: The California Air Resources Board, chaired by Alan C.
Lloyd, Ph.D, modifies further the ZEV mandate, effectively dooming
the electric car. Under the new revision, auto makers no longer have
to make electric cars but instead are required to roll out a mix of fuel
cell vehicles, gas-electric hybrids and PZEVs (partially zero emission
vehicles) beginning in 2008. Dr. Lloyd had recently become Chairman
of the California Fuel Cell Partnership promoting development of
hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
April 2003: Citing that it can no longer provide parts to repair the
vehicles, GM announces that it will not renew EV1 leases. It intends to
reclaim the vehicles by end of 2004 and tow trucks are dispatched to
impound vehicles from customers unwilling to return their EV1s.
July 2003: Mock funeral for the EV1 is held in Los Angeles to draw
press attention to GM pulling the EV1 off the road.
Ford, Honda, and Toyota also pull their fleets of leased electric vehicles
off the road.
2004
December 2004: Following a tip that EV1s are being trucked to GM’s
Arizona proving grounds, Chris Paine (Director of WHO KILLED THE
ELECTRIC CAR?) rents a helicopter. Scouting the vast proving ground,
he spots and films piles of crushed EV1s.
2005
February 2005: The “Don’t Crush” Campaign is launched. EV activists
launch a 24-hour-a-day vigil at the GM Burbank facility to protest and
monitor the fate of 78 impounded EV1s that are discovered in a lot
behind a GM facility in Burbank, CA. Activists offer GM $1.9 Million to
return the impounded fleet to willing buyers.
March 2005: EV activists learn that GM is loading EV1s held in the
Burbank lot onto car-carrier trucks. Protestors block driveways and
some are arrested by Burbank PD.
March 2005: In an interview with the filmmakers of “Who Killed the
Electric Car?” GM spokesman Dave Barthmuss states that every part of
the EV1s are being recycled, not simply crushed.
2006
March, 2006: Toyota and GM, the world’s two largest automakers, end
joint research on hydrogen-powered fuel cells because they could not
agree on sharing intellectual property rights from their hydrogen fuel
cell research.
The following are among the events documented in WHO KILLED THE
ELECTRIC CAR?
1979
President Jimmy Carter resolves that the U.S. will never use more
foreign oil than it imported in 1977.
1977 total U.S. oil imports (crude & refined): 8.8 million barrels/day
2005 total U.S. oil imports (crude & refined): 13.5 million barrels/day
1987
GM’s one-of-a-kind solar powered electric “Sunraycer” wins the World
Solar Challenge Race in Australia.
1988
September 1988: GM CEO (1981-1990) Roger Smith agrees to fund a
prototype for a practical consumer electric car, engineered by the
Sunraycer design team, AeroVironment.
1990
The Los Angeles basin (which includes LA, Orange, Riverside and San
Bernardino counties) issues 41 stage-one smog alerts (a stage-one
alert is called when ozone, one of the most health-damaging
components of smog, exceeds .20 parts per million.)
January 1990: The GM Impact (re-named the EV1 before commercial
release in 1996) is introduced as a concept car at the Los Angeles Auto
Show.
September 1990: The California Air Resources Board (CARB) adopts
the Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, requiring that automakers’
California market share include 2% ZEVs in 1998, 5% ZEVs in 2001,
and 10% ZEVs in 2003.
1995
March 1995: The American Automobile Manufacturing Association
circulates a confidential proposal to launch a public relations
“grassroots education campaign” to repeal the CARB ZEV program.
1996
March 1996: In response to auto industry pressure, CARB makes the
ZEV mandate more flexible. A “Memorandum of Agreement” between
23
CARB and seven of the largest automakers states, in part, that the
automakers will “promote and market ZEVs (zero-emission vehicles)”
and build them in a “production capacity sufficient to meet market
demand in California.” The compromise frees automakers from
meeting the 2% ZEV quota in 1998 but still requires that 10% of all
new cars and light duty trucks in California be zero-emission,
beginning in 2003.
December 1996: The GM EV1 production electric vehicle is made
available for consumer lease at $400 - 500 a month.
1999
December 1999: GM finalizes its purchase of the Hummer-brand name
from AM General Corporation.
2000
January 2000: Despite GM’s claim that it was still committed to its
electrical vehicle program, vice-chairman Harry Pearce says that
“there is no particular need” to continue building electric vehicles. It
also begins, in the coming months, to shift production from the EV1 to
gasoline powered cars at its plant in Lansing, Michigan.
2001
October 2001: GM begins to lay off its EV1 sales team, starting with its
most successful sales specialists.
2002
January 2002: GM, DaimlerChrysler, and seven San Joaquin Valley
auto dealerships sue CARB in the U.S. District Court in Fresno to
repeal the ZEV mandate.
October 2002: The U.S. Department of Justice files a “friend of the
court brief” in support of GM and DaimlerChrysler’s lawsuit against
CARB, arguing that its ZEV mandate amounts to an attempt to
regulate fuel economy standards, which only the federal government
can do.
December 2002: Alan C. Lloyd, Ph.D., Chairman of the California Air
Resources Board, is named the 2003 Chairman of the California Fuel
Cell Partnership, an organization comprised of public agencies and
private companies that promotes fuel cell vehicle technology and
infrastructure growth.
2003
January 2003: President George W. Bush calls for research and
development of hydrogen fuel cell vehicle technology in his State of
the Union Address.
January 2003: Toyota announces that it would stop production on the
RAV4 EV, citing poor sales. The RAV4 EV was the only commercial
electric vehicle made by a major automaker that could be purchased
($42,000), in addition to being leased monthly.
April 2003: The California Air Resources Board, chaired by Alan C.
Lloyd, Ph.D, modifies further the ZEV mandate, effectively dooming
the electric car. Under the new revision, auto makers no longer have
to make electric cars but instead are required to roll out a mix of fuel
cell vehicles, gas-electric hybrids and PZEVs (partially zero emission
vehicles) beginning in 2008. Dr. Lloyd had recently become Chairman
of the California Fuel Cell Partnership promoting development of
hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.
April 2003: Citing that it can no longer provide parts to repair the
vehicles, GM announces that it will not renew EV1 leases. It intends to
reclaim the vehicles by end of 2004 and tow trucks are dispatched to
impound vehicles from customers unwilling to return their EV1s.
July 2003: Mock funeral for the EV1 is held in Los Angeles to draw
press attention to GM pulling the EV1 off the road.
Ford, Honda, and Toyota also pull their fleets of leased electric vehicles
off the road.
2004
December 2004: Following a tip that EV1s are being trucked to GM’s
Arizona proving grounds, Chris Paine (Director of WHO KILLED THE
ELECTRIC CAR?) rents a helicopter. Scouting the vast proving ground,
he spots and films piles of crushed EV1s.
2005
February 2005: The “Don’t Crush” Campaign is launched. EV activists
launch a 24-hour-a-day vigil at the GM Burbank facility to protest and
monitor the fate of 78 impounded EV1s that are discovered in a lot
behind a GM facility in Burbank, CA. Activists offer GM $1.9 Million to
return the impounded fleet to willing buyers.
March 2005: EV activists learn that GM is loading EV1s held in the
Burbank lot onto car-carrier trucks. Protestors block driveways and
some are arrested by Burbank PD.
March 2005: In an interview with the filmmakers of “Who Killed the
Electric Car?” GM spokesman Dave Barthmuss states that every part of
the EV1s are being recycled, not simply crushed.
2006
March, 2006: Toyota and GM, the world’s two largest automakers, end
joint research on hydrogen-powered fuel cells because they could not
agree on sharing intellectual property rights from their hydrogen fuel
cell research.
Irvine sucks, mas ao menos tem um Edwards que passa cinema independente/alternativo!
posted by Metelo @ 19:30
2 comments
2 Comments:
Foste para a terra das teorias de conspirações!! jesu...
ah! queria perguntar-te! os amaricanos são mesmo tão quadrados/meio burros meio idiotas como tanto parece?
Nice ;)
Enviar um comentário
<< Home