REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR: A STORY ABOUT REDEMPTION AND SALVATION

Since its release, Chris Paine’s “Who Killed the Electric Car” has worn heavy around the shoulders of General Motors and in particular, former GM Vice Chairperson Bob Lutz. GM received a lot of heat for destroying its entire fleet of EV1 electric vehicles. The movie is credited in part for galvanizing both Lutz and GM to green light the Volt project, the company’s “extended range electric car.” Five years later, Chris Paine has a new movie, “Revenge of the Electric Car.” Both GM and Lutz achieve redemption in this sequel—and the electric car achieves salvation. The film focuses on four main characters: Bob Lutz, former Vice Chairman at GM; Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors; Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan; and Greg “Gadget” Abbott, an auto enthusiast who independently converts gas cars into electric vehicles. For two years, the film crew followed these individuals and the stories of the electric cars they have been struggling to create and bring to market, including the Chevy Volt, the Nissan LEAF and the Tesla Roadster and Model S.

“Revenge of the Electric Car” is the new feature documentary film about electric cars by Chris Paine, director of the 2006 film, “Who Killed the Electric Car?” Released on Earth Day, April 22, 2011, “Revenge of the Electric Car” tells a new story of the global resurgence of electric vehicles and takes audiences behind the closed doors of Nissan, GM, and the Silicon Valley start-up Tesla Motors: documenting the high-stakes race to be the first to bring electric vehicles to the masses. The film is not a sequel to “Who Killed the Electric Car?” but rather follows a new chapter in the history of electric cars with all new characters, cars, and stories. The film’s production company, WestMidWest Productions, is self-distributing the film instead of relying on a larger studio for the release: a new trend in films released outside of the traditional studio system. “We want to create a link with the film’s fans and connect to them directly,” says Executive Producer Stefano Durdic, “a Facebook promotion like this and other efforts online are part of a new era of promoting films independently, and we’re excited to be a part of this new generation of filmmakers who are taking control of more aspects of a film’s distribution.”

WestMidWest Productions is a Chicago-based film production company, producing “Revenge of the Electric Car” and distributing the film. For more information about the film, go to www.revengeoftheelectriccar.com