La revanche de la voiture électrique

Funny how documentaries often get dissed about their subject matter. You don't have to like electric cars to watch a documentary about electric cars. Many documentaries seem to be crudely shot. The video and audio quality of the film rivals that of some major motion picture studios. As a film, I think this is a wonderful work of art. As for the subject matter and the way the film presents it, I like how the film focuses on 4 very different yet very charismatic characters. The film doesn't bore the viewer with stats and boring talking heads (which often happens in documentaries). It does a good job of getting out of the way and letting the characters shine. Along the way, the viewer learns a thing or two about electric cars. Seems like a clever way to raise awareness about a subject matter that I personally find interesting. As for the subject matter, we went from black and white televisions to color; from 8-tracks to cassettes to mini-discs to CD's to mp3s. There is no denying that going from internal combustion to electric is a better technology on so many fronts: scientific, technological, geo-political, environmental, etc. Hopefully this film convinces people to at least have an open mind. There are worse ways to spend a night than being informed and entertained. I loved it.

Bottom line- if you liked "Who Killed the Electric Car", you'll like "Revenge of the Electric Car". Where "Who" pointed fingers at people, government, and industry, "Revenge" tells the story of those working hard to bring about a renaissance of the Electric Car. This makes for a different tone in the movie, but the subject matter will seem familiar. Rather than tell the whole story, the movie focuses on representatives. Featured are a couple of large car companies, one making a battery electric, one making a extended range battery electric, a small car company battling amazing odds, and a small shop owner living his dream- converting gas engined cars with the highest possible quality, using carefully selected parts to try to out-do the major car companies. How do you out-do a major car company? Well, that's up to you, isn't it? It could be style, it could be uniqueness, it could be cost. In the case of the EV it could be range or charging time, top speed or durability. Sit back and relax, and drink it all in, as the story unfolds before you. This documentary is easily one of the finest I've seen in a long time. Thanks to the team for making the movie, and a particular thanks to the person who did the opening credits.

Many reviewers seem to miss the point of this documentary, which is to document the varied approach businesses are taking to react to the new technology of the electric car. The comparisons captured between the Nissan approach versus the GM approach versus the Tesla approach are very revealing of the strengths and shortcomings of these different companies. Even Netflix gets it wrong when they categorize this movie as a Political documentary, when it is actually a Business documentary.

This movie is an instant classic for business school audiences in particular, and yet is still entertaining and engaging enough for very general audiences. Without spoiling, one scene that is particularly revealing is when two competitor's see a third's production product at an auto show, and seem unable or unwilling to understand the threat to their respective businesses.

Stunning access to a thrilling competition for a new technology in which the stakes could not be higher. Every MBA class in the world should see this movie as a precondition to graduate. 9 stars plus.

The dark vibe on this documentary was almost unbearable. But it's good being able to watch it eleven years later and see that the e-market is thriving. The doc gives an almost biased view of desiring that the "rocket guy" and GM fails. Nonetheless Tesla continues to improve its financial position with strong results and increased its cash position to now $6.3 billion. GM is also going well. Like the guy in the end said, "only time will tell" so this deserves a good 7 for great production. But those two negative guys should not have a say in the next doc, my suggestion.

Director Chris Paine of 'Who Killed the Electric Car?' follows up with this documentary about 4 electric car programs starting from 2007. Bob Lutz from GM was anti-EV until he had a complete 180 switch and started pushing for the Volt. Entrapeneur Elon Musk is driving California upstart Tesla Motors. Carlos Ghosn is the hard-driving CEO of Nissan Renault developing the Leaf for the mass market. Gadget Abbott is doing small scale electric conversions of gasoline cars. The film follows the four separate approaches as they face ups-and-downs.

I don't like the title. It's too strident. It would be better as 'Return of the Electric Car'. It's kind of violent and it automatically lays claim that EVs are going to win over gasoline. Return would be less forceful and more correct. I also wonder why the movie limits to just those four cases. It could make passing references to other cars like the Prius especially since it mentions Toyota. It feels selective. Gadget Abbott's addition seems meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Did he even sell one car? It's a rather unimpressive documentary until the financial crisis hits. Then there are some drama with Elon Musk and GM. That part is interesting and gives something good to this selective doc. It doesn't have the same intensity as the first one which was a great diatribe against a good villain. This is more like an in-depth TV report on PBS.