Electric Cars, Huell Howser & "California Gold"

[SMAlset]

If you've watched PBS or live in California you may know the name Huell Howser (1945-2013) and his PBS program "California Gold" that took viewers all around California. I found in the Huell Howser archives 3 shows you can watch online on shows he did about electric cars that are a real blast from the past.

Episode 918 "Electric Car - Visiting" takes you to see what Lee Iacocca was up to with Lido Motors. Lee shows off some e-Bikes which Huell takes for a ride. Golf carts, neighborhood electric vehicles and utility vehicles - even a woody version, a run-about "pickup", the Elido with frunk. Huell takes a ride in the run-about. Electric Car – Visiting (918)

Episode 1706 "Electric Car Update - Visiting" takes place at the 2010 LA Auto Show. Most of the interview is with Chris Payne ("Who Killed the Electric Car")and Shad Balch/GM Volt. Chris and Huell discuss the upcoming release of "Revenge of the Electric Car". Huell drives an iMiEV. Tesla is mentioned but not shown. Electric Car Update – Visiting (1706)

Episode 127 "Vintage Electric Cars - California's Green" goes to the Nethercutt Museum in Sylmar to see the first electric cars from the turn of the 20th Century. Huell shows off his new hybrid car. He rides in an 1914 all electric Rauch & Lang car. Vintage Electric Cars-California’s Green (127)

 

[BluestarE3]

There's also episode 102 of Huell's "California's Green" series, entitled "Car Crusher". It featured a company in Carson that shredded old appliances and cars in order to recycle the steel. Huell noticed that there were several new cars, including a Honda EV Plus, sitting in the lot and asked his interviewee why perfectly good cars were being slated for destruction.

Unfortunately, this episode isn't currently available for streaming on the Chapman University archive of his shows. However, the segment I described above was featured in "Who Killed the Electric Car" during the part when they were showing the GM EV1 and Toyota RAV4 EV likewise being recalled by their manufacturers so they could be destroyed.