A Quiet Revolution

Whenever I take my car in for repairs, the mechanic invariably says a lot of auto shop stuff which I nod knowingly at and then surrender my credit card. It doesn't really matter what he says: he could be talking about the nervous system of a tree frog, and I'd still nod and pay. But, watching a Quiet Revolution I knew almost immediately that even my mechanic would be left in the dust by Mary Ann Chapman. Subtitled "The Conversion of a Vehicle from Internal Combustion to Electric Power," Connie ­Spittler's a Quiet Revolution is a low-budget guide to turning a gas hog into an emission-free critter. Chapman discusses the costs involved (pretty substantial--from $2,500 up to $13,000), the time (150 to 200 hrs.) and the savings (best summed up, I think, in a vanity license plate which reads "Screw OPEC"). But the heart and guts of the video is the conversion: from engine compartment measurements and pulling the engine, to designing a motor adapter plate, building battery racks, and hooking everything up. Will a novice who watches this program be able to convert their chugging VW into a purring bug? I doubt it. It's a big, and rather complicated, process. Still, as an idea starter for folks who are looking for ways to go a little easier on Mother Nature, a Quiet Revolution shows that with a lot of work (and Mary Ann Chapman), it's possible to--bad literary pun alert--sing the (auto) body electric. Still, the low-budget production and questionable usefulness for general viewers make this an optional purchase. (R. Pitman)