Who's Reviving the Electric Car?

Joel Makower: "Despite the hype and buzz created by the recent debut of a passionate documentary film examining the life and premature death of General Motors' all-electric EV-1 vehicle in the late 1990s, there's a far more newsworthy story: Several notable efforts are taking place to bring all-electric or plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles to market. And for all appearances, these stand to be far more substantive -- and more sustainable -- than GM's initial entry ever was."

Good points, Joel, but why denigrate the film, which will help raise awareness of electric cars in general? I'd also take issue with the term "hype," which is too loosely thrown around these days. Hype is an artificial inflating, usually for greedy goals. If you tell the truth and the truth gets attention, it may qualify as buzz, yes. But is it really the same as hype?

There ought to be room for both a documentary like "Electric Car" and a rational discussion of progress on the electric-car front; it doesn't have to be either/or, as the all-too-often oversimplifying mainstream corporate media likes to portray issues, to the detriment of any valuable discussion.

-- Paul Andrews, GreenforGood

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