In 2006 Chris Paine documented the rise and fall of electric cars in “Who killed the Electric Car” – he found that General Motors was the answer, they were the manufacturers of the EV1, the first, limited-availability, lease-only electric car who put the car on the road and then crushed them all later.
Paine also found that the oil companies who provided the fuel to mainstream cars were responsible as were the public that weren’t ready to drive around in electric cars just yet.
Now in 2012 only 6 years on – everything has changed – Paine reveals in his new documentary “Revenge of the Electric Car” (which sounds like something out of Stephen Kings horror “Christine”) that there has been a complete turnaround in the car industry – Toyota, Elon Musk, Nissan and even General Motors have electric cars on the road and in this exciting documentary Paine is openly talking to GM’s Exec Bob Lutz, Musk’s rollercoaster fortunes are examined, as are those of Nissan chieftain Carlos Ghosn, who’s prepared to swan-dive into the electric market with his mass-produced Leaf EV.
The Automotive Industry Crisis of 2008–2010 also had a big part to play, the car industry was weakened by an increase in the price of fuels discouraging people to buy sports cars so with fewer fuel-efficient models to offer to consumers, sales began to slide and people start talking once again about the electric car.
Here at RunYourFleet we’re pretty chuffed to be fronting electric cars after making an appearance on BBC Midlands. We are known for our electric car trial and reviews and were asked to discuss the the pros and cons of the electric car.
- Average charge time 2-3 hours
- Average cost per charge is 30-80p
- Most journeys during the trial where less than 20 mins
We found that our Craig saves in excess of £300 every month on tax and fuel by swapping over his Astra diesel to this electric Smart Car.
If you get a chance to watch this fascinating documentary its well worth a watch as its full of conspiracy theories, honest interviews and Danny De Vito!
