Back To The Future

Michael Moore sent me an e-mail the other day. Well, not me personally, but rather, due to my presence on the mailing list of a colleague of mine, I was the recipient of a group message from the resident bulldog of American documentary film making. The message was a bit of an "I told you so" about the current General Motors fiasco. However, it is hard to argue with Moore, who predicted much of this mess 20 years ago in Roger And Me. And Moore has some great ideas for the future of GM; even if none of them will ever see the light of day due to the power of the oil lobby on this continent. The whole message got me thinking about my own frustrations with the state of automobile manufacturing in 21st century North America.

For some time now, I (and millions of other people) have been arguing for the mass-production of electric cars. I have watched the documentary Who Killed The Electric Car a couple times recently, and if you ever want a scary indictment of the automotive industry and its relationship with the oil companies, just look for this film. Contrary to what some consumers believe, electric cars were manufactured by several of the major car companies, and leased in California in the 1990's. However, for reasons too numerous and convoluted to get into here, GM and Ford both killed the projects dead at the end of the lease periods, and destroyed both the cars, and all evidence of their existence.

Now, 10-15 years later comes word from Magna CEO Frank Stronach that his company has secured the rights to an electric car battery contract with a foreign manufacturer. Magna, Stronach says, is very interested in producing the next wave of electric cars for North American sale. Great. Overlooking my own scepticism in regard to what stunt Big Oil will take to kill the initiative this time, I'll play along. Thus, I present my ideal prototype for an environmentally-friendly car of the future:

It would be powered by a fully electric motor, capable of being charged at home, or at any fueling station. It would be small, but comfortable; like a Chev Aveo, Toyota Echo, or Ford Focus. The interior would not be carpeted. Carpeting collects salt in the winter, water all-year-round, and acts as a magnet for dirt and grime. The car companies WANT your floor to rot, hence the carpet. Well, rot no more, I say. Lets go back to rubber floors, and while we are at it, let's slant them the way some car floors were constructed in the 1950s and 1960s. This would enable the driver to open the doors of the vehicle, and literally hose out the floor when they washed their car.

This new vechicle would be available in only 3 or 4 primary colours, but it would contain options consumers like such as air conditioning, power windows and locks, a sunroof, etc. Some pundits are currently arguing that the automotive industry thinks consumers want a huge range of choices in vehicles, and accessories, but I am inclined to disagree. I think The Big Three in particular saw this Armageddon coming a long time ago, but had made up their minds to squeeze as much profit from drivers as possible prior to the inevitable collapse. Capitalism is cyclical. Even the most die-hard proponent of Reaganomics would be hard-pressed to argue with economic history. These companies simply have grown too big for their collective britches. Instead of manufacturing what consumers clearly want (just look at the massive sales of compact and sub-compact cars since the 1980's), they have instead tried to TELL us what we want; namely bloated SUVs, and $50,000 trucks with leather interior.

Well, no more. Clearly, due to the economic fork in the road we are at, it is time for The Big Three in particular to figure it out: it is time to build sensible vehicles. A mass-produced electric car with some of the simple features I have mentioned would be a nice start. I won't hold my breath waiting to see such a product in a GM, Ford, or Chrysler showroom anytime soon, though.