"Revenge of the Electric Car" is the critically acclaimed documentary and follow up to "Who Killed The Electric Car?" The DVD of “Revenge of the Electric Car” was released today. I interviewed producer Stefano Durdic via email about the movie.
John K. Wilson: What inspired you to produce this movie?
Stefano Durdic: It was an amalgamation of many factors. While waiting to take delivery of my electric car, I rented Who Killed the Electric Car by director Chris Paine. Most people that view this film walk away upset that this amazing technology was developed and abruptly destroyed. I think I was more upset that I didn’t even know those cars existed--let alone were destroyed.
When my electric car was delivered, I was surprised how much I enjoyed owning the car. From a pure performance standpoint, the instant torque provided by the electric motor makes driving an electric car a blast. I would return to the parking lot and there would be a small crowd of onlookers gathered around my car. Most people were fascinated that the car was electric. I was amazed, and somewhat disappointed, that many people were unaware that electric cars existed.
I enjoyed these parking lot lectures but I knew there had to be a better way to spread the word. I had never produced a film before (or even thought about doing so) but I reached out to Chris Paine and we decided to make Revenge. Our goal was to inform and entertain. Thanks to a colorful cast of characters, I think we accomplished that goal. My personal hope is that this film raises awareness about electric cars. I hope this awareness leads to education, and that education leads to acceptance.
John K. Wilson: Who Killed the Electric Car? focused a sharp attack on General Motors, and GM publicly criticized the film. How did you get GM to agree to trust you in the making of this film? And do you think that the earlier film inspired GM CEO Rick Wagoner to admit in 2009, when he left the company, that killing the electric car was his worst mistake?
Stefano Durdic: GM, Nissan, and Tesla each took a big risk opening their doors to us. The only stipulation they made was that we couldn’t release any footage till after the cars went into production. It became obvious to us that they were serious about electrics this time around so my suspicion is that they weren't as concerned about how they would be portrayed. Still, it was a huge risk as nobody could predict how things would turn out. Our cameras were there for many tense and suspenseful moments (for example, the bankruptcy of GM). These manufacturers deserve credit for letting the cameras roll during some rather unpleasant times.
As for Rick Wagoner's comments, I do believe that Who Killed The Electric Car? played a very large part in his admission. I'm sure I wasn't the only person that didn't realize that the EV-1 was created and destroyed. There’s an old saying about sunlight being the best antiseptic. One can’t help but wonder if he was remorseful about the decision or about the fact that it was caught on film.
John K. Wilson: Rush Limbaugh has argued, “there are a lot of sheep out there that think buying the electric car can save the planet. It's gonna be a fashion accessory. Driving around in one of these things says I'm better than you, I care more than you do. It just illustrates the absolute idiocy of liberals and how terribly drastically dreadfully wrong they are about things.” According to Rush, “If there were something better than the internal combustion engine, it would be there. If there was something better, more economical, cleaner, it would be there. It's not. Markets work; attempts to manipulate them do not.”
How do you respond to that argument?
Stefano Durdic: Short answer: Any fool can condemn, criticize, and complain - and most do.
Long answer: It’s amazing to me that discussions about electric cars often turn political. Liberals tend to like electric cars for their environmental appeal. Conservatives tend to dislike electric cars because liberals like them.
I agree that markets work. I know how markets work better than most. I retired from options trading at the ripe age of 40. I thrived in one of the last bastions of pure capitalism in the United States - the trading pits. The problem with Mr. Limbaugh's argument is that the market he is describing is already manipulated in favor of internal combustion. The tax incentives on trucks and SUVs (including the Hummer) passed by the Bush administration in 2004 dwarf the tax incentives offered to today's electric car buyers. It's estimated that the US government spends anywhere from $10 billion to $40 billion per year in fossil fuel subsidies. This doesn’t take into consideration the military spending--much of which is used to defend oil interests. Nor does it take into account the environmental and human costs. How does the cost of cleanup in Alaska or the Gulf region figure into the price of a barrel of oil? How do we price the human costs of our service men and women into the price we pay at the pump? If the true cost of fossil fuels and internal combustion was factored into the equation, the market cost of electrics versus internal combustion would be significantly cheaper.
What's unfortunate is that if conservatives like Mr. Limbaugh actually looked at the electric car from a political perspective, they would see that it has a lot of conservative appeal. Look at a company like Tesla Motors: It was founded by American entrepreneurs. It's headquartered in Silicon Valley and is creating high tech jobs employing home grown engineers. Their Model S sedan will be manufactured in the USA. It is the first American car company to go public since Ford. Wall Street has embraced the company--driving its stock price up to twice its IPO price. Foreign car manufacturers Toyota and Daimler-Benz have invested in Tesla, as has Panasonic. All of the energy used to propel their cars is made in the USA. It’s a shame that in their quest to oppose anything embraced by the liberals that the conservatives are forgetting their own ideals. Tesla Motors and GM personify American capitalism and appeal to the American spirit that the Republican Party once spoke to. Nissan Motors plans on building 200,000 electric car battery packs per year at its facility in Smyrna, Tennessee. The electric car industry has the potential to revive American manufacturing and create jobs, yet all Mr. Limbaugh wants to talk about is sheep.
Over 99% of the cars on the road today are propelled by internal combustion of fossil fuels. These fossil fuels are predominantly controlled by hostile governments and extremely profitable corporate giants. The support of this fossil fuel infrastructure costs the world untold billions in subsidies, and further untold billions in environmental, health, and human costs. It seems to me that the people that pump their cars full of gas on their daily commutes to and from work look and act more like sheep than the pioneers that are trying to overcome engineering and public acceptance obstacles to find a better way to propel our cars. They seem more like shepherds to me. Perhaps Mr. Limbaugh should follow the advice of his beloved Ronald Reagan: "If you're afraid of the future, then get out of the way, stand aside. The people of this country are ready to move again. "
John K. Wilson: During the three years that this film followed electric car makers, we suffered through a global recession. Considering the possibility that the history of the electric car might repeat itself, did ever you fear that this movie would have to be titled “Who Killed the Electric Car (Again)?” Or “Weekend at Bernie's Electric Car”? Or were you always optimistic about the future of the electric car?
Stefano Durdic: Our film is as much a business case study as it is a documentary about electric cars. I think people forget, or never fully understood, just how bad things were just a few year ago. I never really thought along the lines of Who Killed The Electric Car Again? as much as I probably thought Who Killed All The Cars? or Who Killed The Global Economy? Only in retrospect can I look back in awe at just how precarious the situation was for these car manufacturers. The fact that they were trying to engineer a paradigm shift in an auto industry that was on the brink of failure and somehow survived is truly amazing. It sure as heck makes for an entertaining roller coaster ride of a film.
I don’t consider myself an optimist. I realize that it will take a lot of DVD rentals and education for the masses to overcome the noise surrounding electric cars. The more the public is educated, the more they will embrace electrics. There is no doubt in my mind that electric motors are the superior technology on so many different levels: engineering, design simplicity, energy efficiency, geo-political, environmental, etc. We replaced our Walkmans with iPods and our VCR's with DVD players. I'm convinced we will replace our internal combustion engines with electric. As for the next movie title, I already own the web domain WhoKilledTheGasCar.com.
To learn more about Revenge of the Electric Car, or to buy the DVD, go to http://www.revengeoftheelectriccar.com.