In 1996, electric cars began to appear on roads all over California. They were quiet and fast, produced no exhaust and ran without gasoline. Ten years later, these futuristic cars were almost entirely gone. What happened? Why should we be haunted by the ghost of the electric car?Things to think about:
Who do you think was most responsible for the death of the electric car?
What do we learn about the oil and automobile industry after watching this documentary?
How big a role should the governments of the world play in regulating car safety and quality of emissions?
4 comments:
I think that it was the Oil giants. I say this because, they stood to lose a whole lot of money and that was something that they just could not let happen. They bought their way in the Government of the US and they gave committees orders. These orders were to ensure the safty of their business by eleminating the competition.
They have killed or aborted an option that could have, with a shadow of a doubt, become as the solution air pollution. Concordantly, it would have also reduced the rates of lung diseases in LA.
We learn that the oil companies remain, irrevocably, in power. Either through fear or through money. They care for their interests and thier interests only. They are big because they have business in places like the Middle East and Africa. These locations provide business. A business that brings with it wealth that could last long and satisfy more and more with every drop of oil being sold.
The car manufacturers are slaves to the oil giants. They bend to the will of their masters and do what they can to please them. Ergo, leading inexorably, to a manipulation and distortion of information.
Governments will try to be as environmentally safe as possible. Per contra, there will a few countries that may have to sell oil in order to move forward in terms of developement.
The major world powers should set an example by brining in more environmentally friendly cars and SUV's.
- Musaab
who killed the electric car? i think the documentry made it evident, the oil industries! they have too much power over the economies today that such a big threat such as the electric car had to be demolished from the streets of L.A
the electric car posed incredible enviornmental benefits, no emmissions, no noise pollution, it was virtually harmless to the envoirnment and this would attract potential concumsers. such competition will only decrease the profits of the oil inustries, and after all thats all they are interested in, profits!! the oil industries could not just sit back and watch thier profit be eaten away by an invention with extrodenary potential to rise and grow, and maybe even one day, replace oil/petrolium.
this invention could have been the future to decreasing cancer levels, to reducing pollution, increasing the living standards, why wouldnt you wanna opt for it? is simple reason is that, the government are connected to the oil companies, the middle eastern oil companies control the economies in america and although the electric car presented amazing benefits, the big dog (oil companies) and the end of the day would loose out!
I agree with Musaab and Jonathan. The oil industries were definitely the ones that played the biggest role in the extinction of the electric cars. The companies were threatened. After all, oil companies are one of the most profitable industries in the world, and their owners would never want to depart with such success.
Since most of the oil goes on petrol, the electric cars cause a definite menace.
This movie shows just how much impact the industries have on the society. The one thing that everyone always dreamed of was finally created, but just because it meant that a lot of the companies would start losing money, they had to dispose of the electric car. And yet oil is becoming scarce!
The governments only like the idea of no pollution. That is until they realise how much money the economy stops gaining because of new ways to solve problems of pollutions. They simply can neither afford, nor do they even want to try to get through the economical slump, and wait until the economy starts gaining money on other products than oil!
musaab and jonathan sucks
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