Green Motors

After the California Zero Emission Vehicle act passed back in the 90s, GM (and other automakers) was forced to develop electric cars. GM apparently had the greatest success with its EV1 electric vehicle. Some infrastructure was built, and the waiting list of people wanting to lease such a vehicle was growing fast. The experiment demonstrated that technology was already available to build electric vehicles, at prices that would have become competitive with scaling up the production.

Unfortunately, the automakers continued also the war in justice against the new regulation, with the important support of oil companies and the decisive support of President George W. Bush. After the regulation was loosened, GM decided the end of the EV program, saying it lacks orders (!). The few hundred persons who leased the EVs were not permitted to buy them at the end of the lease period; the vehicles were collected in a hurry and destroyed, the facility where they were built – dismantled and the people fired. As if GM was anxious to get rid of the “electric vehicle nightmare”. The facts are well presented in the movie “Who killed the electric car?”.

Few weeks ago, we have assisted to another “funeral”: GM was declared bankrupt. After decades of eating up billions of taxpayers money and invest them in old technology instead of innovation, GM is closed but it still gets federal aid of billions.

However, GM is dead! Some would say, it’s the revenge of lost opportunities, of keeping on the side of oil corporations instead of satisfying the needs of Americans. Who knows, maybe they could have been saved by the EV, if they wouldn’t have killed it.