Transportation Equity Doc & Talk Series: Revenge of the Electric Car

The 2011 documentary film Revenge of the Electric Car follows four entrepreneurs from 2007 through the end of 2010 as they fight to bring the electric car back to the world market in the midst of the 2008 global recession. The film has unprecedented access to Tesla, Inc. co-founder Elon Musk during this time period in which Musk and Tesla suffered several grave setbacks to the dream of a car company without gasoline. His foils include the charismatic Bob Lutz, vice chairman of General Motors during its 2008 bankruptcy, due in part to its focus on trucks and SUVs instead of fuel efficient and electric cars. Musk and Lutz also face Carlos Ghosn, the CEO credited with saving Renault-Nissan from near bankruptcy and who now had pledged $1 billion to beat Toyota to the pure electric game. A final character, steel fabrication artist, craftsman, prop builder and television personality Greg Abbott, who is known professionally as Reverend Gadget, makes the case for independent electric car conversions in California.

Zeitgeist Arts is seeking to connect, educate and advocate around barriers that persist in transportation networks. The Transportation Equity Doc & Talk Series features screenings of documentaries that follow the history of transportation in the United States from buses and bikes to super highways and self-driving cars. A related discussion follows each film.

Tickets are available at zeitgeistarts.com.