Revenge of the Electric Car

- WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE 405 OR THE 101 OR THE 110,

YOU SEE HOW MUCH CONVENIENCE, HOW MUCH MOBILITY,

HOW MUCH ECONOMIC ACTIVITY THOSE CORRIDORS SUPPORT.

IT HAS BUILT FORTUNES.

IT HAS SAVED LIVES.

IT HAS CREATED COMMUNITIES.

IT'S MADE UNTOLD NUMBERS OF BUSINESSES POSSIBLE.

SEE, NOW, THIS CAR RIGHT HERE,

THIS PORSCHE CAYMAN S,

THIS IS A STONE-COLD FOUR-WHEELED MOTHER OF A CAR.

LOOK HOW NICE THAT CAR IS.

HO-HO-HO.

LOOK HOW CUTE THAT CAR IS. LOOK HOW CUTE THAT CAR IS.

LOOK AT THAT HONDA FIT.

YES, BABY. CUTE.

AWESOME CAR.

THE PROBLEM IS THE GASOLINE IN THE TANK.

NOW, LET'S KICK THIS MULE.

MY GOD. WHOA.

COME ON. COME ON.

I SPENT MY CHILDHOOD DRIVING FAST CARS,

WORKING ON THEM, WRITING ABOUT THEM.

I LOVE GASOLINE HORSEPOWER,

BUT I'VE COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT I'LL NEVER BUY

ANOTHER GASOLINE-POWERED CAR AS LONG AS I LIVE.

THE ONLY WAY FORWARD IS ELECTRIC CARS.

IT STARTED WITH AN EMAIL.

THE ELECTRIC CAR WAS BACK FROM THE DEAD.

THE CAR COMPANIES HAD LIED TO US BEFORE.

SHOULD WE BELIEVE THEM?

THE ONLY WAY TO FIND OUT WAS TO GO BEHIND ENEMY LINES.

FOR THREE YEARS, WE GOT ACCESS

TO SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST SECRETIVE CARMAKERS.

LET'S START WITH THE BIGGEST AND BADDEST OF THEM ALL,

GENERAL MOTORS.

OVER THE LAST CENTURY, GM HAS CHURNED OU OVER 400 MILLION GAS-BURNING CARS AND TRUCKS.

IN THE 1990s, THEY INTRODUCED US TO THE JOYS

OF THE 10-MILE-PER-GALLON HUMMER AND THE ESCALADE.

BUT THEY ALSO TRIED SOMETHING TRULY REVOLUTIONARY,

THE EV1,

THE WORLD'S FIRST MODERN ELECTRIC CAR.

IT WAS FAST, SLEEK, AND POWERED ONLY BY ELECTRICITY.

- FIRST OF ALL, IT WAS THE COOLEST CAR I EVER HAD.

I WAS TAKING CARE OF THE PLANET.

I WASN'T GUNKING UP THE AIR.

IT WAS A FANTASTIC RIDE.

IT WAS FAST.

I'D BE ZIPPING ALONG, MAN,

70, 80 MILES AN HOUR,

YOU KNOW, JUST FEELING LIKE A MILLION BUCKS.

BUT GM LOST FAITH.

THEY ROUNDED UP THE CARS AS DRIVERS PROTESTED.

- GM, SHAME ON YOU.

- SAVE EV1.

THEN THEY CRUSHED THEM

AND LEFT THEM FOR DEAD.

GM'S CHIEF EXECUTIVE RICK WAGONER

LATER CALLED IT HIS BIGGEST MISTAKE.

- WHEN THEY TOOK THE EV1 AWAY, I WAS DEFINITELY--

I WENT INTO A DEPRESSION.

I FELT, LIKE, REALLY SAD,

BECAUSE IN THE LONG RUN, YOU LOOK BACK AT IT--

THEY MADE A DEAL.

SOMEBODY MADE A DEAL TO KILL THE ELECTRIC CAR.

AND--YOU KNOW, AND IT WOULD'VE BEEN A COOL THING TO HAVE,

AND I STILL WOULD'VE BEEN DRIVING IT NOW.

- GM HAD A LOT OF HATERS

AND, INTERESTINGLY, PEOPLE WITH VERY LONG MEMORIES.

THEY WOULD SAY THEY NEVER WOULD BUY ANOTHER GM AGAIN.

- GM GOT A LOT OF BAD PUBLICITY FOR THE EV1,

BUT HERE'S WHERE WE ARE NOW.

THERE'S NOT ONLY A BUSINESS CASE FOR ELECTRIC CARS.

THERE IS A COMPELLING BUSINESS CASE.

THERE IS AN INEVITABILITY TO THIS TECHNOLOGY.

IT HAS COME SO FAR SO FAST AT A TIME

WHEN GASOLINE AND THE POLITICS OF OIL

HAVE BECOME INCREASINGLY PROBLEMATIC.

- I THINK THAT WHEN GAS PRICES WERE HIGH,

THERE WAS A DEGREE OF EXCITEMENT AROUND ELECTRIC VEHICLES

THAT WE HADN'T SEEN BEFORE.

- I'M SICK AND TIRED OF WORRYING

ABOUT GAS PRICES EVERY SIX MONTHS.

I'M SICK AND TIRED OF THESE FAILED WARS IN THE MIDDLE EAST.

I'M SICK AND TIRED OF BREATHING THE AIR THAT WE'RE BREATHING.

WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY. WE HAVE THE KNOW-HOW.

WE ARE INNOVATIVE. LET'S ACT LIKE IT.

- I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS IS A PROBLEM

THAT IS GONNA BE RESOLVED BY REGULATORS AND BUREAUCRATS.

THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT'S GONNA BE SOLVED

BY ENGINEERS, INNOVATORS, AND ENTREPRENEURS.

SOMETIMES CHANGE STARTS

WITH THE MOST UNLIKELY PEOPLE.

- HOW ARE YOU TODAY, BOB?

- PRETTY GOOD, THANKS. CAN'T COMPLAIN.

BUSINESS IS LOUSY,

BUT OTHER THAN THAT, EVERYTHING'S FINE.

THIS GUY SURE DOESN'T LOOK LIKE A RADICAL.

- NEVER ONE TO TURN DOWN A BRIBE.

NOW, WHERE'S THE BRANDY SNIFTER?

MEET BOB LUTZ, MR. HORSEPOWER.

- WE WOULDN'T BE DOING THIS IN CALIFORNIA.

BOB IS VICE CHAIRMAN OF GENERAL MOTORS

AND THEIR MEDIA FRONT MAN.

- YEAH, RIGHT THERE. EYES ARE PERFECT.

CHIN UP A LITTLE BIT.

ALL RIGHT, SO...

- OH, "BAD." OKAY.

ONE OF THE GUYS WHO WAS BLAMED

FOR KILLING OFF THE EV1.

- GREAT.

- YOU MEAN THE OBAMA POSE WHERE YOU SORT OF...

LOOKING FOR DIVINE INSPIRATION?

- YOU'RE GONNA LOOK KIND OF LIKE...

LIKE THAT MEAN...

- A THREATENING POSE.

- NOT TOO THREATENING. WE DON'T WANT--

THAT'S THE LAST THING WE WANT TO DO RIGHT NOW.

- BOB LUTZ IS A GIANT OF A MAN.

LIKE, HE IS JUST-- HE'S LARGER THAN LIFE.

I MEAN, THE JUST--

BOB'S BEEN A CAR GUY ALL HIS LIFE.

HE'S BEEN VICE PRESIDENT OF FORD

AND BMW:

AND PRESIDENT OF CHRYSLER.

EVER HEARD OF THE 3 SERIES?

THE VIPER?

THE FORD EXPLORER?

THAT'S BOB.

- HE IS HAS A BRILLIANT MIND-- HE HAS A BRILLIANT BRAIN

WHEN IT COMES TO WHAT AN AUTOMOTIVE ENTHUSIAST WANTS.

- IN 2003, 2004, YOU COULD NOT FIND A PERSON

WHO WAS MORE DISMISSIVE OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY

THAN BOB LUTZ.

HE THOUGHT THAT THERE WAS NO BUSINESS CASE FOR IT.

HE THOUGHT THE PEOPLE WHO SUPPORTED IT WERE LUNATICS.

HE DID NOT AND PROBABLY STILL DOESN' BELIEVE IN GLOBAL WARMING.

THEN, I THINK, SOMETHING HAPPENED TO BOB LUTZ.

I THINK HE BEGAN TO SEE SOME SORT OF LIGHT.

- WELL, I DO CONSIDER MYSELF AN ENVIRONMENTALIST, AND I--

BUT WITHIN REASON.

IN OTHER WORDS, I STILL REALIZE THE BENEFITS

OF MODERN AUTOMOTIVE TRANSPORTATION.

ON THE OTHER HAND, THE FLOOD OF EMAILS THAT I GOT SAYING,

"YOU ROTTEN S.O.B.

"YOU SOLD OUT TO THE OIL COMPANIES,

"AND YOU'VE KILLED MY GRANDCHILDREN.

I HOPE YOU ROT IN HELL."

- NO ONE LIKES TO BE REMEMBERED

AS AN EVIL OR BAD PERSON, AND CERTAINLY,

HE'S ENOUGH OF AN EGOMANIAC THAT HE WOULD--

THAT WOULD STING.

- WE WERE DISCUSSING HOW TOYOTA WAS RUNNING AWAY

WITH THE TECHNOLOGICAL IMAGE AND THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMAGE

AND SO FORTH, AND I SAID,

"WELL, WHY DON'T WE AT LEAST DO AN ELECTRIC PROTOTYPE?"

AND THIS WAS MET WITH A SINGULAR ABSENCE OF ENTHUSIASM

ON ANYBODY'S PAR BECAUSE THE COMPANY HAD LOST SO MUCH MONEY ON EV1.

SO BOB'S ELECTRIC CAR CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT.

BUT IN A WORLD FAR AWAY FROM DETROIT,

THE REAL REBELLION WAS ALREADY UNDER WAY.

IT'S LAUNCH DAY FOR AMERICA'S NEWEST CAR COMPANY.

DRAWING INSPIRATION

FROM ONE OF THE 20TH CENTURY'S MOST REVOLUTIONARY INVENTORS,

THE FATHER OF A.C. ELECTRICITY,

NIKOLA TESLA.

- IT'S A VERY MOMENTOUS DAY FOR US.

IT IS OUR FIRST CAR,

AND OF COURSE, IT'S A CAR BELONGING TO OUR FIRST CUSTOMER,

AND THAT WOULD BE ALSO OUR CHAIRMAN, ELON MUSK.

- I'M ECSTATIC. THIS IS FANTASTIC.

AWESOME DAY.

IT FEELS LIKE VICTORY.

- I FEEL GREAT. IT'S A GREAT DAY FOR TESLA.

I GOT GOOSEBUMPS AS I SAW THE CAR ROLL IN.

- THIS IS THE FIRST PRODUCTION ROADSTER

AND A HUGE DAY FOR THE COMPANY.

TESLA'S GONNA PUT THOUSANDS OF THESE CARS ON THE ROAD.

BUT BEYOND THAT, REALLY, WHAT MATTERS IS,

ARE WE MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD?

AND FOR US TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD,

WE HAVE TO BUILD A LOT OF CARS.

YOU KNOW, UNTIL WE SEE EVERY CAR ON THE ROAD BEING ELECTRIC,

YOU KNOW, WE WILL NOT STOP.

SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS REALLY

JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE BEGINNING.

ALL RIGHT.

- ELON MUSK IS A TRUE BELIEVER,

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