As waiting lists continue to grow for the gas-stingy Toyota Prius and other hybrids, filmgoers are being reminded of a less successful experiment in alternative-powered cars.
General Motors’ EV1 was a promising entry in the all-electric category, but it came to a screeching halt in 2000 when GM pulled the plug on the model.
That’s the topic of a new documentary film, “Who Killed the Electric Car?”
Writer and director Chris Paine argues that GM could have made the model a commercial success but let the EV1 die because it might have siphoned business from more-profitable automotive lines and alienated the oil industry.
GM responds that it tried to make the plug-in electric car a big seller, but tepid consumer response left it with no option but to end the experiment.
GM leased only about 800 of the vehicles from 1996 to 2000.
Conspiracy theories about GM killing the venture are “a lot of hot air,” said Tim Jackson, president of the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association.
“Automakers are not driven by the oil industry,” he said. “They are very eager to find new technologies.”
Viewers will get a chance to decide for themselves on GM’s motives when the film makes its Denver debut tonight in a special screening at the Esquire Theatre, then begins a longer run July 14.
Retired engineer David Mustoe of Lakewood hasn’t seen the movie, but he’s certain that electric cars are the future of the automotive industry, despite GM’s failed effort.
Mustoe became an enthusiast several years ago when he built three electric-powered bicycles, then bought a hybrid Honda Insight, then converted a 1985 Toyota Tercel wagon to hybrid power in his garage.
Hybrids operate with both gasoline engines and electric motors, unlike GM’s EV1, which was powered solely by rechargeable lead-acid batteries.
“Electricity, in my mind, will be the superior method of transportation,” Mustoe said. “Batteries have always been the killer with their weight and inefficiency, but battery technology has come a long way and it keeps getting better.”
Analysts say the EV1 was handicapped by its limited range of about 100 miles, after which the batteries had to be recharged for several hours.
Now, nickel-metal-hydride and lithium-ion batteries offer more range and less charging time than lead-acid batteries.
The popular Toyota Prius and other mass-produced hybrids do not require plug-in charging; their batteries are automatically charged with the power harnessed from braking.
Automotive experts say hybrids will gradually convert to plug-in charging because it will help increase fuel mileage.
Industrial real-estate developer ProLogis equipped its new Denver headquarters with vehicle-charging stations, even though none currently is being used. The developer said it built the system as part of a commitment to sustainable development.
Until plug-in electric and fuel- cell cars establish a presence, the market share of nonplug hybrids is likely to increase, said Gerry Pedersen, president of Pedersen Toyota in Fort Collins.
Orders for the Prius are up 25 percent from last year at the dealership, he said, with a wait time of 60 to 90 days.
“Demand is pretty strong right now,” Pedersen said. “There might have been some apprehension originally, but now people know they’re getting really superior technology.”
Staff writer Steve Raabe can be reached at 303-820-1948 or sraabe@denverpost.com.
History of electric cars in U.S. dates back over 100 years
1832-39
Scottish inventor Robert Anderson invents the first crude electric carriage powered by nonrechargeable primary cells.
1859
French physicist Gaston Planté invents the rechargeable lead-acid storage battery.
1891
William Morrison of Iowa builds the first successful electric automobile in the United States.
1897
The first electric taxis hit the streets of New York.
1900
The electric automobile is in its heyday. Of the 4,192 cars produced in the United States, 28 percent are powered by electricity.
1908
Henry Ford introduces the mass-produced and gasoline- powered Model T, which would have a profound effect on the U.S. car market.
1920s
The electric car ceases to be a viable commercial product, attributable to its lack of horsepower, the desire for longer-distance vehicles and the ready availability of gasoline.
1988
Roger Smith, CEO of GM, agrees to fund research into building a practical consumer electric car. GM teams up with California’s AeroVironment to design what would become the EV1.
1997
Toyota unveils the Prius – the world’s first commercially mass-produced and -marketed hybrid car – in Japan.
1997-2000
A few thousand all-electric cars (such as Honda’s EV Plus, GM’s EV1, Ford’s Ranger pickup EV, Nissan’s Altra EV, Chevy’s S-10 EV and Toyota’s RAV4 EV) are produced. All of the major all-electric programs would be discontinued by the early 2000s.
2000
GM ceases production of the EV1 and announces it will not renew leases on the cars, saying it can no longer supply parts to repair the vehicles.
2006
A few all-electric cars and plug-in hybrids are in limited production, and new ones are on the horizon.
