Car Wars: The Rise, the Fall, and the Resurgence of the Electric Car

by John J. Fialka

The resurgence of the electric car in modern life is a tale of adventurers, men and women who bucked the complete dominance of the fossil fueled car to seek something cleaner, simpler and cheaper. Award-winning former Wall Sreet Journal reporter John Fialka documents the early days of the electric car, from the M.I.T./Caltech race between prototypes in the summer of 1968 to the 1987 victory of the Sunraycer in the world's first race featuring solar powered cars. Thirty years later, the electric has captured the imagination and pocketbooks of American consumers. Organizations like the U.S. Department of Energy and the state of California, along with companies from the old-guard of General Motors and Toyota as well as upstart young players like Tesla Motors and Elon Musk have embraced the once-extinct technology. The electric car has steadily gained traction in the U.S. and around the world. We are watching the start of a trillion dollar, worldwide race to see who will dominate one of the biggest commercial upheavals of the 21st century. Drawing from the last decade of his 26-year career at the Wall Street Journal , where he covered energy and environmental matters, ClimateWire founder and industry insider John Fialka brings to life this thrilling and important story about American's rejection and second obsession with the electric car.

Genres: Technology, History, Nonfiction, Business, Science

288 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 2015

Reviews

[Etienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

A subject that I love and are really interest in it, but unfortunately this book doesn’t did a good job exploring and explaining it. The most interesting part of it is the preface, and that really a good thing when your preface are better and contains more info then the entire book. This book goes in every direction, does a poor job in the organization department and more often than not fall into name dropping and description of random event that play a part in the electric car adventure, but didn’t describe or explain the fundamental of it all. It’s too bad because I had I hope but I didn’t learn much, a little but..., and I didn’t like it. Too bad...

[Paul Holbrook · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing. The topic is interesting, but the author did a poor job of telling an over-arching story.

[Catha Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Car Wars is a total gem, a perhaps overlooked history of the electric car. Great story telling and exploration of new technologies. Engaging and insightful with lots of business lessons that are critical to reflect on as we think about how to accelerate the adoption of clean transportation!

[John Avery · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this review of the history and current state (as of 2015) of the development of the electric car. The electric car has a much longer history than expected and its development has gone through more stages than I was aware of. What I take away from this book is a general understanding of the issues in the design and feasibility of the electric and fuel cell cars so that when I read or research the topic in the future for general interest or possible purchase, I'll be able to absorb more of the information I find. It's a good primer on what will be an increasingly important topic if society is to develop technology to maintain mobility and fight climate change.

[Bill Yancey · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2014, I converted a Chevy S10 pickup from gas to electricity. It was a lot of work and a fun project. I think if I had read this book before I gave the vehicle to a local college, I would still have it. This is a great book for anyone interested in the history of the electric vehicle from the 1800s to Elon Musk to fuel cells. You won't be disappointed, except that it is three years old and needs and additional chapter or two to bring it up to date.

[LaShana Claude]

J.J. Fialka

-Chris Payne - "Excellent work"
- Amory B. Lovins - lively chronicle, emerging global auto making- insightful and provocative
- Don Garlits - The electric vehicle is the car of the future. It is quiet, efficient, and causes very little pollution... I hope John Fialka's book, Car Wars, helps people understand the importance of electrics for the future of transportation.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A quick read covering the history of the electric car from the 1800s to 2015. Was also very amused at the pre Twitter, pre 2016 opinions on Elon Musk. Definitely worth a read, would love to see the author's thoughts on the electric car scene in 2024.

[Nathanael Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, well-paced book that lays out the often-surprising, circuitous route that electric vehicles have taken to arrive in the present day. Whether you're looking to buy an EV, research them, or dislike them, this is a book well worth reading.

[PJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was great and very interesting on the history of the electric car till the last chapter. I felt climate change was trying to be shoved down my throat so I didn't finish the last chapter.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book free from GoodReads and was sent an e-mail, asking me to review it.

All in all, well written and educational. I liked the history of the early days of the electric car. I enjoyed the college prototypes and then the continuation to Tesla Motors. Today, GM and Toyota are utilizing this technology. I think more needs to be done, including more education of "the masses" to wean ourselves off the limited supply of oil.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is available at the Nashua Public Library as an audiobook and a hardback.

Read as an hardback.

An interesting book with some information that I read in other places. . No mention of X-Prize Auto which surprised me. Perhaps he felt it was adequately covered in Jason Fagone's book : Ingenious .

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surprising information on the current status of electric vehicles. They have made more progress than most people realize.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Breezy journalistic overview of the development of electric and fuel-cell powered vehicles. Worth reading.