Who Killed the Electric Car? asks AltCar Expo

On Saturday, September 17, Filmmaker Chris Paine will present journalist Dan Neil with AltCar's first annual Disrupter Award, followed by a discussion about how creative influencers are impacting the next generation of EVs. AltCar will also celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Who Killed the Electric Car with a free screening. The presentation and screening will start at Noon in the East Wing of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium.

"Dan Neil has been turning over apple carts, traditional cars, and SUVs since they hit the road. He is the perfect choice to inaugurate this award because of his refusal to accept the status quo from the automotive industry," says filmmaker Chris Paine. "We are so thrilled to partner with AltCar and present this new award to herald the accomplishments of an innovative disruptor who supports the alternative fuel movement."

The panel will focus on the next generation of electric vehicles and how creative influencers impact the future of the industry. Ten years after the groundbreaking film Who Killed the Electric Car and five years after its sequel, Revenge of the Electric Car, consumer interest in electric vehicles has skyrocketed. Join in a lively discussion with panelists Dan Neil, Chris Paine, Dean Devlin and special guests as they talk about the film's impact and what the future will hold.

Dan Neil is an automotive columnist for The Wall Street Journal and a former staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, AutoWeek and Car and Driver. He was a panelist on 2011's "The Car Show" with Adam Carolla on Speed Channel. In 1999, Neil received the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive journalism, and in 2004 Neil won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism, presented annually to a newspaper writer who has demonstrated "distinguished criticism," for his LA Times column "Rumble Seat." Upon awarding Mr. Neil the Pulitzer, the board noted his "one-of-a-kind reviews of automobiles, blending technical expertise with offbeat humor and astute cultural criticism."

Writer/Director Chris Paine is best known for his Sony Pictures Classics Documentary Who Killed the Electric Car? (2006) and its sequel Revenge of the Electric Car (2011) about startup Tesla Motors. He also served as Executive Producer on Bikes vs Cars (2015) as well as Charge!, William Gibson: No Maps for These Territories, and the Ewan McGregor narrated racing doc Faster. Chris has appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Democracy Now, and Science Friday on NPR. His Counterspill social media project won 3 Webby Awards in the aftermath of the BP oil spill. Current projects include films about AI, nuclear power, and a third film in his electric car trilogy. Chris serves on the board of Friends of the Earth in Washington, DC.

The goal of AltCar is to provide a very accessible and comprehensive setting where both the industry and general public can discover existing alternatives to the way they use energy and transportation and motivate everyone to take further action. California leads the nation in alternative vehicles, incentives and fueling stations, with many states now following the state's example and implementing programs similar to those in California.

AltCar brings almost every make and model of alternative fuel vehicle to one place so you can shop, test drive, compare and learn. The 2016 Expo will have the most extensive array of battery electric, fuel-cell electric, plug-in hybrid, hybrid electric, natural gas and propane vehicles for consumers.

As always, mass transit exhibits and information will be available. Come learn more about the new light rail lines and bus routes.

AltCar Expo will take place at the Santa Monica Civic Center 1855 Main St., Santa Monica, CA 90401 September 16 ad 17. For additional information, visit http://www.altcarexpo.com or call (310) 390-2930.