Yeah, good question. Well according to the documentary of the same name, it was oil companies, car companies, the government, the California Air Resource Board, the Hydrogen fuel cell, and the consumer. And the details of how each of these individual groups contributed to the demise of the EV1, a battery-powered electric car produced by GM’s Saturn division for a handful of years in the mid-1990s, is outlined in this effective, low key documentary. For a variety of reasons, the car never caught on with consumers (or its manufacturer), and the film is an indictment of the parties responsible — and a celebration of those valiant few believers who fought to save it.

Despite its niche subject matter, the film works because of its overarching theme: progress versus greed. Director Chris Paine is clearly impassioned by the subject matter, which comes through in the documentary’s well-researched and well-presented delivery. “Who Killed the Electric Car?” isn’t a sexy documentary, but it is an important one. It is a classic David vs. Goliath story, though sadly the EV1 is eaten alive (or rather literally, crushed) by Goliath. The film also makes a nice companion piece to the Al Gore global warming doc “An Inconvenient Truth.” Look for the film now in selected cities, but do yourself a favor, take the bus to the cineplex. Or better yet, your Prius.

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