In Revenge of the Electric Car, director Chris Paine takes his film crew behind the closed doors of Nissan, GM, and the Silicon Valley start-up Tesla Motors to chronicle the story of the global resurgence of electric cars. Without using a single drop of foreign oil, the new generation of car is America's future: fast, furious, and cleaner than ever.

Revenge of the Electric Car (Part 1)

          Revenge follows four entrepreneurs from 2007 through the end of 2010 as they fight to bring the electric car back to the world market in the midst of the 2008 Global recession. The film has unprecedented access to co-Founder Elon Musk in the first three years of Tesla Motors during which Mr. Musk suffered several grave setbacks to his dream of a car company without gasoline. His foils include the charismatic Bob Lutz Vice Chairman of General Motors during its 2008 bankruptcy due in part to its focus on trucks and SUVs instead of fuel efficient and electric cars. Elon and Bob also face Carlos Ghosn the CEO credited with saving Renault-Nissan from near bankruptcy and who now had pledged $1B to beat Toyota to the pure electric game. A final character, Greg Abbott, makes the case for independent electric car conversions in California. Danny DeVito is also interviewed, as an electric car enthusiast and owner of a Chevy Volt and earlier GM's ill-fated EV-1, as well as Internet entrepreneur and Tesla customer Jason Calacanis.

 

 

 

          Whereas the 2006 film Who Killed the Electric Car? ended with the destruction of 5,000 electric cars from California's clean air program, notably the GM EV1, the new film documents the rebirth of a new generation of electric cars including the Chevrolet Volt, the Nissan Leaf and the Tesla Roadster.

Revenge of the Electric Car (Part 2)

The General Motors EV1, one of the cars introduced due to the California Air Resources Board mandate, had a range of 160 mi (260 km) with NiMH batteries in 1999.

          An electric car is an automobile that is propelled by one or more electric motors, using electrical energy stored in rechargeable batteries or another energy storage device. Electric motors give electric cars instant torque, creating strong and smooth acceleration. They are also around three times as efficient as cars with an internal combustion engine. The first practical electric cars were produced in the 1880s.   Electric cars were popular in the late 19th century and early 20th century, until advances in internal combustion engines, electric starters in particular, and mass production of cheaper gasoline vehicles led to a decline in the use of electric drive vehicles. The energy crises of the 1970s and 1980s brought a short-lived interest in electric cars; although those cars did not reach the mass marketing stage, as became the case in the 21st century.

 

 

 

 

 

          Since 2008, a renaissance in electric vehicle manufacturing has occurred due to advances in batteries and energy management, concerns about increasing oil prices, and the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Several national and local governments have established tax credits, subsidies, and other incentives to promote the introduction and now adoption in the mass market of new electric vehicles depending on battery size and their all-electric range. Electric cars are significantly quieter than conventional internal combustion engine automobiles. They do not emit tailpipe pollutants, giving a large reduction of local air pollution, and, can give a significant reduction in total greenhouse gas and other emissions (dependent on the method used for electricity generation). They also provide for independence from foreign oil, which in several countries is cause for concern about vulnerability to oil price volatility and supply disruption. Recharging can take a long time and in many places there is a patchy recharging infrastructure. For long distance driving, many cars support fast charging that can give around 80% charge in half an hour using public rapid chargers. While battery cost is decreasing fairly rapidly, it is still relatively high, and because of this, most electric cars have a more limited range and a somewhat higher purchase cost than conventional vehicles. Drivers can also sometimes suffer from range anxiety- the fear that the batteries will be depleted before reaching their destination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

          As of December 2015, there were over 30 models of highway legal all-electric passenger cars and utility vans available for retail sales, mainly in the North America, China, Japan, and Western European countries. Cumulative global sales of highway-capable light-duty pure electric vehicles passed the one million unit milestone in September 2016. About 61% of the global stock of 2 million light-duty plug-in electric vehicles by the end of 2016 were pure electric cars and vans. The world's all-time top selling highway-capable electric car is the Nissan Leaf, released in December 2010, with more than 250,000 units sold worldwide through December 2016. The Tesla Model S, released in June 2012, ranks second with global sales of over 158,000 units through December 2016. The Model S has been the world's top selling plug-in car for two years in a row, 2015 and 2016. 

Nissan Leaf

           The Nissan Leaf (also formatted "LEAF" as a backronym for leading environmentally-friendly affordable family car) is a compact five-door hatchback electric car manufactured by Nissan and introduced in Japan and the United States in December 2010, followed by various European countries and Canada in 2011. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) official range for the 2016 model year Leaf with the 30 kWh battery is 172 km (107 miles) on a full battery charge, while the trim with the smaller 24 kWh battery is 135 km (84 miles), the same as the 2014/15 model year. Leaf battery packs can be charged from fully discharged to 80% capacity in about 30 minutes using DC fast charging.

 

 

          Since its inception, more than 250,000 Leafs have been sold worldwide through December 2016, making the Leaf the world's all-time best-selling highway-capable electric car in history. As of December 2016, the United States is the world's largest Leaf market with almost 103,600 sold, followed by Japan with almost 72,500 units, and Europe with almost 68,000. As of December 2016, the European market is led by Norway with over 19,400 new units registered, and the UK with 15,000 units by mid-September 2016. The Leaf was the world's best-selling plug-in electric car in 2013 and 2014.

 

 

          As an all-electric car, the Nissan Leaf produces no tailpipe pollution or greenhouse gas emissions at the point of operation, and contributes to reduced dependence on petroleum.  Among other awards and recognition, the Nissan Leaf won the 2010 Green Car Vision Award, the 2011 European Car of the Year, the 2011 World Car of the Year, and the 2011–2012 Car of the Year Japan.

Revenge of the Electric Car (Part 3)

 

A charging station for electric cars. To fight the 'war on pollution' , Chinese government is increasing public and private charging facilities to encourage the development of electric vehicle market.

           Tesla, Inc. (formerly named Tesla Motors) is an American automaker, energy storage company, and solar panel manufacturer based in Palo Alto, California. The company was initially founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, although the company also considers Elon Musk, JB Straubel, and Ian Wright amongst its co-founders. The company specializes in electric cars, Lithium-ion battery energy storage, and, through their SolarCity subsidiary, residential solar panels.

 

 

 

Tesla first gained widespread attention following its production of the Tesla Roadster, the first electric sports car, in 2008. The company's second vehicle, the Model S, an electric luxury sedan, debuted in 2012 and is built at the Tesla Factory in California. In Q1 2013, Tesla released its stock profits for the first time from its NASDAQ ticker symbol. The Model S has been the world's best-selling plug-in electric car for two years in a row, 2015 and 2016. Its global sales achieved the 150,000 unit milestone in November 2016, four years and five months after its introduction. As of December 2016, the Model S ranks as the world's all-time second best-selling plug-in after the Nissan Leaf.[18] The Model S was then followed by the Model X, a crossover SUV. Tesla's next vehicle is the Model 3, which was unveiled in March 2016. It is slated for release in 2017 with a price at US$35,000, before any government incentives.

 

 

 

As of December 2016, Tesla has sold over 186,000 electric cars worldwide since delivery of its first Tesla Roadster in 2008, making the carmaker the second largest global pure electric car manufacturer after the Renault-Nissan Alliance. For two years running, 2015 and 2016, Tesla ranked as the world's second best selling manufacturer of plug-in electric cars after BYD Auto. Musk, the CEO, has said that he envisions Tesla as a technology company and independent automaker, aimed at eventually offering electric cars at prices affordable to the average consumer.

 

 

 

 

Tesla has a network of high-powered Superchargers located across North America, Europe and Asia for Tesla vehicles. The company also operates a Destination Charging program, under which shops, restaurants and other venues are offered fast chargers for their customers.[30] Although Tesla operates a number of production and assembly plants, the company's most iconic facility is the Gigafactory 1 near Reno, Nevada, where Panasonic builds 21-70 cells for Tesla batteries. Tesla also manufactures the Tesla Powerwall, Powerpack batteries, and solar panels (in varying form factors) for home and industry applications. Elon Musk owns 22% controlling stake in the company.

Three converted Prius Plug-In Hybrids charging at San Francisco City Hall

The Electric Car