{"id":4327,"date":"2026-07-26T18:07:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T18:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=4327"},"modified":"2026-07-26T18:07:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T18:07:37","slug":"20-years-ago-a-feature-documentary-announced-the-death-of-the-electric-car","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=4327","title":{"rendered":"20 Years Ago, a Feature Documentary Announced the Death of the Electric Car"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\tTwenty years ago, skyrocketing gas prices linked to a war in the Middle East spurred questions over how to minimize reliance on fossil fuels. (Sound familiar?) The topic rolled into cinemas with filmmaker Chris Paine\u2019s documentary feature Who Killed the Electric Car?\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more John Cena Races to Find a Nuclear Warhead in \u2018Matchbox the Movie\u2019 Trailer<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tIt was the directorial debut for the environmental activist and proud lessee of the EV1, launched by GM in 1996 as one of the first American mass-produced electric vehicles before being discontinued and recalled by the early 2000s. Friends encouraged Paine to make a film to assess blame; he enlisted Martin Sheen as narrator, with the star donating his salary to charity. Independence Day <\/em>producer Dean Devlin joined to honor his late dad\u2019s love for the vehicle and connected the team with friend Mel Gibson, who spoke fondly about his own EV1; other voices included Ed Begley Jr., Ralph Nader and Phyllis Diller.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tSony Pictures Classics acquired the project in November 2005 just before it got into Sundance, and hired Alex Gibney as a consulting producer following his Enron doc\u2019s success. \u201cSony calls with Alex on the line, and it was a two-hour-long call [where] we all just listened,\u201d recalls producer Jessie Deeter. While the feedback was appreciated, it meant an overhaul to create more of an arc. After its rousing Sundance premiere, the movie\u2019s trailer ran ahead of doc hit An Inconvenient Truth<\/em>, with its high profile leading GM to issue statements attempting to discredit Electric Car<\/em>. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Read more Prime Video Unveils Teaser, Release Date for Mike Flanagan\u2019s \u2018Carrie\u2019 Series<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThe doc ends optimistically with a brief shot of the Tesla Roadster prototype. Indeed, Elon Musk\u2019s company would help spur today\u2019s EV popularity, which was the focus of a 2011 sequel. Now acknowledging that EVs weren\u2019t killed, just delayed until companies could make them profitable, Paine says, \u201cThe film asks the right question, but maybe not the complete one.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\nThis story appeared in the July 22 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Read more Ryan Gosling to Star in Ghost Rider Movie for Marvel Studios, Director Shawn Levy<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Explore the story of \u2018Who Killed the Electric Car?\u2019 20 years later, its impact on EVs, Tesla's rise, and the future of sustainable transportation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[891],"class_list":["post-4327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting","tag-hollywood-flashback"],"yoast_head":"\n20 Years Ago, a Feature Documentary Announced the Death of the Electric Car - US Property Moves<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/uspropertymoves.com\/?p=4327\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"20 Years Ago, a Feature Documentary Announced the Death of the Electric Car - 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