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Becker hosting night of environment awareness

"Who killed the electric car?" ROFL!

Uh, it wasn't even viable to begin with. It might be clean, it might even be efficient, but it's expensive, inconvenient, and has serious limitations of range and speed.

Man, environmentalists can find corporate conspiracies anywhere.

The ultimate destruction of this film's silly conspiracy claims lies in the fact that GM will have the first electric car that is both practical and is a viable alternative to the gas car when the Chevy/Opel/Vauxhall VOLTs launch in 2010. Chris Paine did a lot of lying for nothing when he made this illogical and fictitious "documentary." The fact that people believe it says more about their ignorance of the problems posed by electric cars than anything else. No one who knows the history of the electric car would be gullible enough to swallow the inane theories put forth by this illogical film. Far from being the wonder car claimed, it would be difficult to demonstrate any
fundamental advancement by the EV-1 over the Detroit Electric produced 90 years earlier in 1907. The costs, driving ranges, recharge times , etc had
changed very little in those 90 years.

We'd love to still have the EV1, but we were able to purchase an all-electric Toyota RAV4-EV back in 2002, for the brief period when the last 300 were for sale.

In the last 4 years, we've put 105,000 miles on one, 80,000 miles on another, and 75,000 miles on the third RAV4-EV.

Proving that you can drive a lot of oil-free miles with a plug-in EV.

Our EV1 went up to 160 miles on a charge; our Toyota RAV4-EV goes up to 120 miles on a charge, best of all, we make more electric than we use thanks to our rooftop solar system.

Instead of paying money for oil, gas and smog checkes, the money we saved went to pay off our solar system in three years. Now, we get all our electric, and our driving, "for free", no additional expense, no pollution, no oil, no oil wars, no need for supporting overseas oil dictators.

Just a matter of leadership; so far, we don't have any, we could build millions of EVs and the solar panels to power them for less than the cost of the Bush wars.

Lynch should apologize for his slanderous comment, "Chris Paine did a lot of lying for nothing when he made this illogical and fictitious "documentary."

Every part of that film was triple checked for accuracy. If Lynch can point to one thing that is a lie, I'll pay him $100. Problem for him is that all of it is true.

Lynch is one of those GM apologists who claim to know something about this subject, but in reality know nothing.

"Far from being the wonder car claimed, it would be difficult to demonstrate any fundamental advancement by the EV-1 over the Detroit Electric produced 90 years earlier in 1907. The costs, driving ranges, recharge times, etc had changed very little in those 90 years. "

The batteries last over 100,000 miles/10 years and the EV1 did 80 MPH (not much of a restriction) instead of 25 MPH. Sounds like a large improvement to me. For the 60% of American households that have 2 cars, one should be a vehicle like the EV1 and the other could be the new (if they ever make it) Chevy Volt. The truth is that the Volt was a concept back in 2001 as the logical extension of the EV1. I do not remember the name back then, but the static ads I saw indicated a fuel economy of 108 MPG.

Oil addiction is our biggest nemesis in so many ways. Kudos to Becker...I wish I could vote for him.

Anyone doubting the veracity of "Who Killed the Electric Car" is not paying attention. The RAV-4 EV's on the road prove beyond a doubt that sporty, competitive EV's can be made, and NOW. There's one locally that blows my V6 3.8L doors off regularly.

Why aren't they made? Ignorance of them by the many, and obfuscation by a select powerful few. But the RAV-4 EV is the proof that won't go away!

Nighttime power grid surplus goes to waste instead of charging EV's or serial hybrids, and countless rooftops can generate peak time solar when it's needed most (replacing a measurable percentage of fossil fuel generation).

As Doug Korthof notes, charging your EV from rooftop solar credits also speeds up mightily the payoff of the solar array investment as it replaces your petro dollars. Other forms of "green" generation (wind, hydro) support the grid as well. And if you're pro nuke, you should be salivating for EV's.

If you MUST drive a gashog, you should still support EV's and serial hybrids, as they're widespread use will drive down the cost of your oil.

Hey automakers: "No plug?...No deal!"

Who wants a car that doesn't need regular lube jobs, has zero emissions, 100 mile range, no tune ups, less brake wear, less maintenance costs, that you can charge at home instead of driving to the gas station? Answer: No one. That is why they got rid of those ridiculous EVs. It's a silly concept to begin with.

Personally,and I don't think I am alone in this, I would much rather drive to the gas station every week, pay for tune ups, lube jobs, spew toxins into the environment, and be at the mercy of oil prices. That's my dream car.

Jim's: "it would be difficult to demonstrate any
fundamental advancement by the EV-1 over the Detroit Electric produced 90 years earlier in 1907. The costs, driving ranges, recharge times , etc had
changed very little in those 90 years."...

Come on Jim...get real.

I have 1000's of miles of cockpit time in EV1s.

90+ mile cruise at up to 79.9 mph with air-conditioning!
Shop (and charge if you'd like)
Eat (and charge if you'd like)
Then a night at a bed & breakfast (& charge!)
Repeat
Enjoy

You can't seriously compare a Detroit Electric and an EV1.

If you carefully read GM's own press materials touting the EV1 and it's advances over previous vehicle technologies, they didn't lie or exaggerate with it's EV1 descriptions or performance claims. What you read is what you got, and it was impressive.

I've also chatted with many of the GM employees & engineers who developed the EV1 (& some of the same are now working on the Volt). They are understandably proud of their accomplishments and would take offense at your "no advancement" claims...

... why is the latest generation of the EV1 motor going into the Volt if a 90 year old Detroit Electric motor would be as good? and more cost effective?

I have a plan� you buy a Volt. Then, lets take out the EV1 motor and the batteries from your Volt and make you a special version with 90 year old motor and batteries. Have fun!

Then, we sneak into a museum,
steal a mothballed EV1,
put your Volt's "no advancement" motor and batteries into it, and go much FASTER and FARTHER than a standard Volt ...in this hacked "antique" EV1.

but wait...do you think it's possible that this mythical creature
already exists
somewhere?

like Troy?