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Revenge of the Electric Car

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When Chris Paine did Q&A in Palo Alto, the questions weren't so bad.

...Although we got someone ranting about "why aren't today's EVs any better than the RAV4EV from 10+ years ago?"...

The question caused a brief pause but was fielded well with some reasonable comment saying today's EVs cost less to make...

I think some of the other people involved in the film's production (producers, etc.) are letting Chris do most of the promotion and Q&A as they may be tired of these sorts of "left field" questions.
 
The only thing I can think of TEG is that as Palo Alto is in TMs backyard, more of the general population might be keeping up with EV developments...up here, ...*sigh*!

Yes, true dat. Actually I ran into a bunch of people in the line who turned out to be parents of Tesla staff. I would hear "My { son or daughter } is over at the Tesla factory hosting a Model S event while I watch this movie..."

They had a Volt, Leaf and old RAV4EV parked on the sidewalk next to the line of people going in to see the film.

Chris even said his parents were in the audience... (He used to live in this area for a long time.)
 
Chris Paine reignites the wheel with Revenge of the Electric Car - National Post

In Revenge of the Electric Car, the follow-up to his acclaimed 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, director Chris Paine takes audiences behind the closed doors of Motor City big shots once again. The new documentary follows General Motors’ Bob Lutz, Nissan’s Carlos Ghosn and Tesla Motors’ Elon Musk as they race to be the first company with an electric car for a gas-squeezed market. The Post’s Ania Medrek talked with Paine about the new rules of the road.


Revenge of the Electric Car: Soft-pedaling sequel - Toronto.com

Who’s buying these cars? Do they meet the needs of average drivers? Are they as good as gas-fueled cars — better, worse? What concessions, adjustments will owners need to make? How come the numerous technical problems these cars have faced in development are never defined or explored? Why has the oil industry that so effectively killed off the EV-1 just six years ago apparently stepped aside?

Enough unanswered questions to guarantee a third episode in this unfolding drama.

Larry
 
....Enough unanswered questions to guarantee a third episode in this unfolding drama...
I asked Chris one question after the showing I saw: "So when do you start work on the next EV film?"
He gave a slightly nervous laugh and said basically that he is ready to take a break/vacation and isn't planning another one anytime soon.
 
I loved the movie

I had a chance to see the movie with Chris Payne at EVCCON and it was wonderful seeing it with 150 electric car junkies. We all throughly enjoyed it. As you may imagine Tesla is of the 4 success stories featured in the film. Chris said he unfortunately had to cut many things out of the film. There is little background of why we need to move to electric cars. It is mainly a film about how they are making a comback as a success.
 
In the story it says: "When "Revenge" premieres in L.A. this week, one private after-party will be held at a Tesla showroom. Representatives of all the automakers featured in the film will attend and bring their cars
— an effort Paine likened to negotiating the Treaty of Versailles."


Anyone secure an invite? Not me! And I'm a legend in my own mind!

Maybe your cameo in the movie has something to do with it?!
 
preview of the Revenge of the Electric Car

We got to see the preview of the Revenge of the Electric Car tonight.
Only one DIY EV and One RED teslas in the parking lot at Nexxus in Richmond, CA!
I am happy to say it is not the sequel to Who killed the Electric Car? The outsider/victim voice is gone and indeed one of the very first shots and statements is how the camera got inside the sacred[or profane] grounds of GM…

There were some great opening shots of robots building car parts and battery packs with really fun titles.

It was also a documentary that is unafraid to represent its new status after the success of Who Killed The Electric Car. In investigating several EV car builders, Chris Paine presents the entire spectrum of EV possibilities although not all the contenders. The camera focuses on GM and Bob Lutz, Nissan and Carlos Ghosn, Tesla and Elon Musk and my favorite, do-it-yourself expert, Gadget and his conversions.

These four, and their stories along the road to developing electric vehicles, create a roller coaster flow of success and failures, unexpected downturns, and optimistic persistence.

It was good to see the historical perspective of the development of the technology even as someone who is slightly involved in it.

The surprise was the evenhanded and humanistic way Chris depicts the four key men involved. I think this reflects Paine’s attitudes that any electric car and all electric cars are needed in the near future. Frankly, I never thought I could ever relate to Bob Lutz, but I like the way I saw him in this movie. Elon Musk’s drive and edginess was both uncomfortable and delightful. I guess Carlos Ghosn’s drive and confidence is just how how he is. The real surprise character for me was Gadget, his wife and their vision because it was much closer to my experience that the other three powerhouse guys'. To see the devastation of Gadget’s garage was heartbreaking, to see his struggling recovery, really heartwarming.

Another surprise was to see how many female engineers are working at GM. I guess things are changing.

The film opens at Landmark Cinema on Shattuck in Berkeley November 4. Come a bit early, grab a place in front of the theater for show and tell if you wish. Showtimes will be announced Nov 1