Chris Paine is a busy guy. Not only is he currently in the midst of filming a sequel to his successful documentary Who Killed The Electric Car?, but he’s also about to open to the public his “green demonstration home” in Southern California. Called The Marraskesh House, Chris and his team transformed a hillside mid-century modern home into a 21st century green showcase for more sustainable living.

“Bringing people together has always been important to me, especially living in Los Angeles where everything is so spread out,” says Paine. “I wanted Marrakesh House to provide a relaxed artistic atmosphere that reflects my interests in different cultures and demonstrates eco-friendlier living to anyone who visits. I hope Marrakesh House proves that greener living can be artistic and fun.”

Inspired by Moroccan design, the the 4,300 square-foot house was re-vamped from the top to bottom with the 3Rs in mind. Reclaimed wood, solar thermal for hot water, an 11kWh array on the roof (providing 60% of the home’s energy needs), low-flow toilets, organic seasonal gardens, and three electrical-charging stations in the garage are just some of the green features. The home is also intended to educate — and with that in mind features AV facilities explaining all of the tech and a unique kiosk that allows party-goers to see how the solar array is impacting the home’s energy use.

The grand opening will happen on June 6th — and benefit a number of charities including NextAid, Green Wave, Plug-In America, Rainforest Action Network, the Impro Theatre, and the Wildlife Learning Center.

To check out more on the home — visit their highly detailed website here.

Chris Paine — well known director of Who Killed The Electric Car? — has launched a blog site for his next film Revenge of the Electric Car.

There’s not much content yet, but the FAQ is revealing. For instance, Paine is empathetic that this film not be labeled as a “follow up” or “sequel” saying that it will be a very different film “in tone, approach and content” to the previous one. He also chimes in with what the film will cover with this little blurb:

“Revenge of the Electric Car” tells the story of the EV renaissance, circa 2008–2010. From new cars to conversions to plug-in hybrids, we’ll follow the many strands of what is — literally — an electrifying story.

Can EVs finally challenge the 100-year rule of gasoline engines, petrodollars and entrenched interests? Plug-in vehicles still face huge obstacles: there are technical hurdles, public nervousness, industry fears. But this time around the world is clamoring for a revolutionary new age in transportation. Will the EV win? That’s what we’re going to find out…

Paine is also leaving the door open to interns — so if you’d like to be a part of a rockin’ new documentary, check out the site here!

via autobloggreen

Chris Paine, director of the popular doc Who Killed The Electric Car, is currently working on the sequel titled Revenge of the Electric Car. Set to hit theaters in 2009, Paine won’t reveal much more other than “the movie will chronicle the work major automakers are doing to get a second generation of electric cars on the road.”

Hey, we’re just thrilled there’s an upbeat potential happy ending to this whole tale. The previous movie, which dealt with the demise of General Motor’s much-loved EV1, left you rather befuddled over how such a promising technology could be scrapped. Several years later, there’s been a massive turnaround that’s occurred much faster than most anticipated. As Autobloggreen details,

“We’re not at all certain what the movie will focus on, but it is definitely true that electric cars are seeing a reincarnation of sorts. Tesla Motors, Fisker Automotive and General Motors all have plans to create new electric or hybrid vehicles in the coming years, along with many other major automakers. Even if it isn’t the beloved little coupe, we join Mr. Paine and the throngs of ex-EV1 drivers in welcoming the electric car’s return.”

Well said — and we look forward to welcoming electric cars back onto the roads. Let’s hope there’s no reason to make this series a trilogy.

via autobloggreen

So far, only 4 cars have managed to roll off the production line — so that means Pitt, Clooney, Damon, and Schwarzenegger will have to wait a bit longer for their electric fix. Automobile Mag has a bit more on the retail plans for the company,

“Located in Los Angeles, Tesla’s first dealer – actually a factory outlet – occupies 10,000 square feet along Santa Monica Boulevard.  Carrying a price tag of nearly $2 million, the store portrays an airy, industrial feel, thanks in part to concrete floors, visible ductwork, and colorful illumination. That appearance will expand as Tesla opens five stores across the country over the next year.  An outlet at its Menlo Park, Calif. headquarters should be open in the summer, while properties in New York, Miami, Seattle and Chicago could be functional by 2009.”

There’s some pretty crappy video over on Autobloggreen that almost looks like someone shot it with a cameraphone — but if you’re the tiniest bit interested in seeing what went down the other nigh, jump here to have a look.

Now that the Tesla Roadster is actually starting to trickle on to roads around America, speculation is heating up as to who’s on the list — and when they’re getting their car. We already know George Clooney, Matt Damon, Michael “Flea” Balzary, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Will.i.am, and Aaron Wills are signed up and paid. We also know that Leonardo DiCaprio is in the hunt as well. Beyond the above, however, we’re forced to rely upon some excellent web-digging by Tesla enthusiasts for names and orders.

Over on the site TeslaMotorClub, a growing list of politicans, artists, musicians, and wealthy folk is starting to take shape. Some new additions that we were previously unaware of include Brad Pitt, Dennis Haysbert, and Red Hot Chili Pepper’s Anthony Kiedis. Also interesting to note on the list are those involved with green documentaries — from Chris Paine, Director of Who Killed The Electric Car to Scott Burns, Producer of An Inconvenient Truth.

Obviously, we’ll know more in the coming months, but it’s a good bet that the latter half of 2008 will be a feast for Tesla spying as famous folk hit the roads — and premieres — in their shiny green cars. Check out the Top 20 semi-confirmed, with sources below the fold. For the full list — and some great discussion on the roadster — check out TeslaMotorClub.

Martin Eberhard Tesla Founder
Elon Musk Tesla Chairman of the board
Michael Marks former CEO of Flextronics, former interim Tesla CEO
Larry Page Google founder
Sergey Brin Google founder
Michael Dell Dell computers founder
Chris Paine writer and director, “Who Killed the Electric Car”
Dean Devlin producer, “Who Killed the Electric Car”
Scott Burns producer, “An Inconvenient Truth”
Arnold Schwarzenegger / Maria Shriver Actor/politician & his wife
Gavin Newsom San Francisco Mayor
Nicholas Pritzker Hyatt hotel CEO
Eric Stang Reliant CEO
Brian Halla CEO of National Semiconductor
George Clooney Actor, Director
Brad Pitt Actor
Matt Damon Actor
Dennis Haysbert TV Actor, 24 and The Unit
Will.I.Am Singer
Michael “Flea” Balzary Bassist

Ms. Petersen joined a panel titled “Pitching, Producing and Marketing Environmental Themes in Feature Films” and offered some insightful commentary on the differences between The 11th Hour and An Inconvenient Truth in terms of marketing, timing, and participation. The most pertinent of those three being DiCaprio’s limited availability for promotion (due to tight filming schedules), while Gore was able to continuously push and stump for AIT. Box office numbers for the 11th, while much lower than AIT, were in fact almost 10 times above the average for theatrically released documentaries.

When I briefly talked with Leila after her presentation, one area I did compliment her on was the 11th’s very strong internet presence. Whereas AIT has not updated climatecrisis.net for over a year, Petersen’s production company Tree Media is continuously feeding 11thHourAction.org with the latest in green news, inspirational stories, and eco-friendly advice. “It’s entirely an in-house effort,” she said. “We have all our own writers and intend to continue the message of The 11th Hour going forward through this site. We’ll be expanding our Take Action section in the future to include even more businesses, organizations, and individuals.”

Remember Chris Paine’s next icy adventure? The director of the successful Who Killed The Electric Car was working on a film about alternative fuel vehicles driving to Antarctica in a race tentatively titled ‘Test Zero’. The race would include a bio-fueled car, a hydrogen fuel-cell car, and battery-based car. At an after-party last night, I asked Chris how that documentary was proceeding. “We’ve had some setbacks,” he said. “A grant we were expecting did not come through and the logistics of the operation muddled efforts to get the project running.” Chris mentioned that the project is evolving to potentially include Greenland instead of Antarctica and some additional “renewable energy” technology in the mix.