The 2006 documentary about Who Killed the Electric Car shows the determination of several California citizens whose willpower was to keep the electric car alive and running. The first existence of the electric car under General Motors (GM) dates back to 1996 when they launched the EV1 electric vehicle. And although several consumers took to this new form of transportation, a car that was powered by an electric motor in place of the basic gasoline engine, GM decided to take back its newest technology and removed all existing EV1’s from off of the streets. With several upset consumers who were concerned as to both what GM and the government were up to and how they could get their cars back. Overall, the fact behind why the electric car became such a superior commodity and then vanished was the question being asked. The electric vehicle was destroyed during 2004 and 2005 because a car of this statue was far ahead of its time and greater parts of consumers were not about “going green.” Today the electric car has begun to revive itself because of the existence of global warming, and the efficiency of the electric car is rising. In other words, the electric car has been brought back to life, and many automobile manufacturers are gaining interest.
When General Motors manufactured the first electric car known as the EV1 they did not fully have in mind it’s affect on the buyers. Although there were consumers who were concerned at the time with bettering the environment around them, majority of them were not. The idea of an electric car seemed barbaric and without the buyers, the seller begins to fail. A consumer by the name of Charles Murray (2007), and author of the article I Killed the Electric Car talks about his guiltiness as a consum...
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...spects of society, while at the same time social forces do much to stimulate and shape these technologies” (p. 304). Therefore, society in general could be to blame for why the battery electric vehicle was destroyed and revived. In the beginning, the electric vehicle was before it’s times and consumers were not onboard, but today it is gaining more momentum because of the affects of global warming and the efficiency of an electric vehicle benefits the environment, consumer, and society as a whole.
Works Cited
Deal III, W. F. (2010). Going Green with Electric Vehicles. Technology & Engineering Teacher, 70(3), 5-11.
Horn, M. (2010). Roadmap to the Electric Car Company. Futurist, 44(2), 40-45.
Murray, C. J. (2007). I Killed the Electric Car. Design News, 62(1), 14.
Volti, R. (2010). Society and Technological Change 6th Edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers.
Sports Utility Vehicles have long maintained the reputation of being gas guzzlers and detrimental to the environment. In the article, “Why Environmentalists Attack the SUV,” Mr. John Bragg presents the argument that the SUV is a symbol of Americanism. While it is easy to understand his thinking, it is largely based upon subjective reasoning. Conversely, the SUV.org article, “Environmental Double Standards for Sport Utility Vehicles,” postulates that SUV’s represent a paradox to consumers. Additionally, cartoonist, Khalil Bendib takes a drastic approach by overtly stating that American automotive corporations are directly contributing to the degradation of the environment.
The 1996 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? explores the factors behind the demise of General Motors’ EV1, the popular and elusive electric car of the early 1990’s. The EVI was popular with the public, and it was clean, fast and efficient. This video sets out to solve what is effectively a murder mystery – the plug was pulled on the EV1 in 2002 after only 1,000 of these cars had been produced by GM, most of which were subsequently destroyed by the company in a secret location in the Arizona desert.
The Automotive, or electric car industry particularly, comprises all those companies and activities involved in the manufacture of electric motor vehicles (EV), including most components, such as engines, bodies and rechargeable batteries or another energy storage device. The industry’s principal products are passenger automobiles. Despite the fact that the first electric cars were produced in 1880s , the advances in internal combustion engines, especially the electric starter, soon diminished the relative advantages of the electric car and became the dominant design in the market. Due to this the EV was almost a forgotten industry staying in the early stage of development, conforming to less than 1% of the automotive stock
Starting in the late 1700’s, European engineers began messing with motor powered vehicles. By the mid 1800’s, steam, combustion, and electrical motors had all been attempted. By the 1900’s it wasn’t very clear on which type of engine would really power the automobile. At that time, electric cars were the most popular but there were no batteries at that time that would allow a car to move very fast or a long distance. Commercial production in the United States began at the beginning of the 1900’s. In the early 1900’s, the United States had about two thousand firms producing one or more cars.
By the early 1900’s, automobiles had become a common sight on the roads of the United States. Edison tried to create an electric battery that could power an electric car. Due to the abundant availability of gasoline, the electric car did not receive the response that Edison hoped for. However, the car battery was a huge success, and still plays a pivotal role in the automobile industry.
In the July 1997 issue of Commentary, James Q. Wilson challenges the consensus among academia’s finest regarding the automobile in his bold article, Cars and Their Enemies. Directed towards the general public, his article discredits many of the supposed negatives of the automobile raised by experts, proves that the personal car is thriving and will continue to thrive because it meets individual preference over other means of transportation, as well as presents solutions to the social costs of cars. Wilson emphasizes that no matter what is said and done in eliminating the social costs of the automobile, experts are not going to stop campaigning against it.
Nissan was the first company to introduce a 100 percent electric car that produces zero emission and they had great hopes for this vehicle (“Nissan Product Information”). According to Michael Strong, the company believed that this car would be the future of transportation and that it would soon be responsible for 10 percent of all new vehicle sales. However, after 3 years on the market, Nissan’s CEO Ghosn admitted that the Nissan Leaf is only accountable for 4...
In the film, “Who Killed the Electric Car”, by Chris Paine, it gives a closer look into the making and destruction of the electric cars. California has the worst air quality in the United States, so In 1990 California Air Research Board passed the Zero Emissions Vehicle Mandate. The mandate meant that every big automobile company in California had to sell electric cars to continue selling their gasoline powered vehicles. General Motors offered the EV1, the first electric car in the modern era. The film explores the possible reason as to why the EV1 and many other similar models were erased from the automotive industry. Many felt as if auto companies did not promote the vehicle enough, auto companies reported that the electric cars did not
...rther then the end of 2010, the introduction of the electric car is not far to come. With proper government regulations and consumer knowledge, adoptability of the electric car is possible. However, one can drastically differ in opinion as to why the required elements to support such a vehicle were not readily planned to facilitate such a change. The inadequacies draw wavering concerns for both consumers and business looking for the return of value and profit. The larger picture needs to be remembered in which oil is not a renewable resource and results in pollution and environmental hazard. Consumers and business must work together to overcome the roadblocks down the road and support each other in the introduction of and future of the electric car. Adjustments will have to be made on both sides to ensure success and minimize the society and economy disruptions.
Electric cars have dated as far back as 1880, with the first model being mass produced in the later 1880’s. At early stages of automobiles, there were no clear benefits from either type of engine. In fact, a majority of cars in use at the time were electric. Steam and combustion engines were less developed and not as popular. Before the 1900’s an electric car held the land speed record for motor vehicles. (Bellis, 2014) As roads were built and the range that vehicles would need to travel increased, the need for a longer lasting vehicle rose. This is why at the turn of the century the popularity of gasoline powered engines arose. Electric vehicles were still valued for their short term transportation (within cities) and relatively easy use, but they began to lose prevalence as developments into combustion rose. Production for electric cars peaked in 1912 (Bellis, 2014) and saw a drastic decline since
The majority of people, especially in America, cannot go about their daily lives without a car. Automobiles have instilled themselves in peoples’ lives and shown their usefulness since their debut in 1769. Since then, humans have redesigned and refined the automobile thousands of times, each time making the vehicle more efficient and economical than before. Now as the world approaches an ethical decision to dwarf all others, many people look toward automotives for yet another change. The emergence of the hypercar due to ecological turmoil exemplifies the change the world has demanded. Hypercars alter everything people know about automotives, modern ecology, and fuel efficiency. Not only do hypercars offer a solution to many ecological problems humans are faced with now, they also represent the only logical area for the automotive industry, and by some stretch American society, to expand.
Purchasing a car is one of the hugest or biggest accomplishments that a person can achieve on their own. However, what happens when that purchase turns out to also be the worst decision that was ever made? The purchase was a success and a goal was achieved, but the moment the key is turned and the engine is started the contribution to environmental harm begins. As the car is driven, the gasoline fumes that are released from the car contribute to the other many factors and pollutants that damage the environment. Not only is the purchase now a contributor to the depletion of clean air, but it could also play a part in the depletion of someone’s health. For example, asthma or bronchitis could develop in an adult or child as a direct result of breathing in noxious automotive fumes. Depending on where one lives, there could be strict regulations on air pollution. One must be accountable for any and all contributions made to the demise of what was once a healthy Earth. One must be accountable for his or her own carbon footprint. Some individuals have taken steps to reduce their carbon footprints and cause less harm to the environment by purchasing electric cars.
Environmental concerns have been raised from time to time because of the dependency on the gasoline-fueled engine as the chief auto powertrain technology. This has resulted in exposing many automobile users to unpredictable prices of fuel. These issues were, however, the reason for the inception of Tesla Motors so as to bring into existence another set of automotive which serves the similar purpose; but uses another form of energy that being electricity to drive them instead of the disadvantageous gasoline-powered engine. This invention was influenced by a number of factors in terms of their planning and performance (Hunger, 2010).
The substantial increase in the demand for EV’s came just in time as we are slowly but surely running out of oil. Some estimate that by the year 2040, 35 percent of all vehicles will be electric (Sullins, 2017). An article from the U.S. Department of Energy stated that “Electric vehicles hold a lot of potential for helping the U.S. create a more sustainable future. If the U.S. transitioned all the light-duty vehicles to hybrids or plug-in electric vehicles, we could reduce our dependence on foreign oil by 30-60 percent, while lowering the carbon pollution from the transportation sector by as much as 20 percent (energy.gov, 2014). It’s obvious that gas-powered vehicles have harmed our planet with their emissions. Although EV’s cannot reverse that damage that has been done, they can eliminate, or at least slow down, the inevitable demise that our planet is headed towards. Along with the beneficial environmental factors that correspond with electric cars, there are also beneficial financial factors. The average American spends about $2,000 on gas annually. In the future, charging stations will charge roughly $12.00 for a full charge, which is about 300 miles. This means that the average American will save about $1,400 per year on these specific car
A lot of scientists like the idea because it is advanced and they say it’s cleaner and safer in many