Revenge of the Electric Car - 2011 - Movie Review

4/25/2012

4/25/2012 - This war for the road is a very new conflict, with battery technology's potential finally beginning to match its lofty goals as a complete replacement for the gas guzzling wonders we've all come to know and love (or at least accept). Despite the violent rhetoric, emotions running high in the industry and political angles relating to this situation it is actually quite a simple transition to new technology, simply infused with strong passions and on a massive scale. Although it skims over some important points, such as the challenges of building a proper charging station infrastructure, this documentary does a good job of showing some of the real struggles that this industry has encountered from its floundering beginnings as mere concept to its current incarnation as a fledgling, yet onward trudging, consumer market.

The EV1 was GM's first completely electric car,
produced from 1996-1999

The fate of the EV1

Director Chris Payne begins roughly where his previous (and slightly less optomistic) documentary, "Death of the Electric Car", left off. The scene he paints is a classic: addiction to oil, reliance on cars, conservative governments loath to invest in such a risky technology, and the failure of the American automobile industry. The documentary revisits the EV1, General Motors first take on the electric vehicle and the centerpiece of "Death of the Electric Car", as a cautionary tale of failure in this industry and jumps right into the current group of solid competitors in the arena.

The Nissan Leaf, Chevy Volt, and extremely flashy Tesla Roadster are the main focuses, and the documentary does a good job of showing exactly how they are approaching the market and what their separate goals are. They are also each attached to their own powerful personality that is personally driving their vision of the electric car at what is shown as great personal risk.

Carlos Ghosn in front of the Nissan Leaf at a show

The Nissan Leaf ($35,000USD) is headed by Carlos Ghosn, the very serious and ruthless Brazilian-born French businessman (who I could easily see Andy Garcia playing in the Hollywood retelling, think Ocean's 11), here given the somewhat overblown title of "The Warrior". He the man responsible for Nissan's amazing turnaround 10 years ago (along with a mass of job cuts) and was in charge of overseeing the Leaf from beginning to end. There is an excellent scene where they are discussing Mitsubishi's electric car that shows his practicality and business sense well. Carlos Ghosn asks the competing car's price and someone responds with $50,000. Carlos' response is incredulous, "It's $50,000? That has nothing to do with the electric car. I mean, this is a niche product." Very astute.

Elon Musk in front of his Tesla Roadster at its release party

The Tesla Roadster ($109,000) is spearheaded by Elon Musk, who has become one of the most visible celebrity CEO's of the past year. His new venture, Tesla, joins his privatized space travel company SpaceX as an imaginative stretch to many, and consequently runs into many interesting issues that the other two well-established car manufacturers avoid completely.

Bob Lutz on the Chevy Volt factory floor

The Chevy Volt ($40,000) is lead by the good ol' American car guy Bob Lutz. He's just going about his business, making the necessary sacrifices after the failures of the past, and trying to lead his company competitively into the future. Like Elon Musk, he has been a very public figure recently, popping up on a variety of shows to discuss energy to push the Volt, and you can see why. He's very down-to-earth and likable, and, maybe more importantly, is a conservative who is an avid advocate of electric vehicles. He brings a bit of experience and gravitas to the issue as well, putting him in a position to accurately say things like, "I think Elon Musk and the guys are learning what it means to put automobiles into production. It ain't easy."

The movie shows Tesla as a newcomer with technical issues, quality control problems, and funding limitations, although with great vision and the ability to overcome these obstacles. Nissan and GM, however, bring decades of car production experience to the table and therefore have few technical issues. They also have the easier route of going for the widest possible range of this niche market with traditional family cars that are priced for consumers (albeit consumers more concerned about the environment than putting food on the table). Tesla's inexperience show itself with production delays, underestimated costs ($35 million… I mean $195 million to get to production!), and lack of capital, but their advantage is clearly illustrated in a small meeting with all (yes, all) of their customers, where Elon Musk explains delays and increased prices. With such a high price point, such a positive vision for the future, and such a positive and recognizable name in Elon Musk, the room was filled with willing listeners despite the problems: wealthy activists. Later, Elon Musk's pitch to Governor Schwarzenegger, who mentions off-hand that is would be a great gift for his wife, again defines who comprises his client base.

Celebrity endorsements are nice, but detract from the
image of electric cars being priced and ready for consumers

This trend continues with all three brands as more celebrities are shown purchasing their electric vehicles and taking them for a spin, or just putting in their two cents as advocates for clean vehicles. This somewhat undermines the movie's message that electric vehicles are ready for mass production, and instead shows that this is still very much a wealthy activist market.

Unruly congressman bullying the poor put-upon car guy?
Not how I remember it.

The other point where "Revenge" veers slightly off its track is its over-emotional analysis of the American car industry. Although it can't be ignored that the car industry as a whole has been one of the defining parts of the American economy for nearly 100 years, taking this route simply minimizes the reality that this is a competitive market and EV's have to be better or cheaper or both to take over. The entire segment discussing the failure of GM and the 2008 economic crash make American car makers seem like the victims; hardworking guys who fell on hard times. The truth is rather different: American car makers made a worse product for the same price. Growing up, my family always bought Honda or Toyota because they lasted longer, required less frequent repairs, and got better gas mileage. Slick Bob Lutz blames it on the fact that American drivers choose their cars based on gas prices and prices were low, but that doesn't explain the overall lower quality of most American brands. The general feeling is that they tried, but the market spoke and who are they to argue with that?

If you're interested in a documentary that clearly shows where the industry was, where it is now, and possibly where it's going, this is a good one. It would have been nice to see a little bit more analysis instead of just predictions of how many charging stations and cars will be around in 2015 (they said 1 million of each), such as more comparisons with gas-powered cars from a price and pollution perspective to provide context in the market. There is also very little discussion of the technology, how far it's come, and the practical implications of both its limitations and advantages. On the other hand, more facts and figures may have taken away from what is a succinctly told story, even with its sometimes overdone drama and impending disasters. This is clearly a documentary with a goal: to convince viewers that the electric vehicle is here now and ready for us. I'm encouraged, but not convinced.