by William Logan

Created on: February 22, 2010   Last Updated: February 23, 2010

After a few false starts over the years, the electric car appears poised to fulfill its promise. While some technological problems remain to be worked out before it can fully supplant the internal combustion engine, the  electric car now offers sufficient power, range, comfort, and style to challenge conventional automobiles in certain markets. With several small start up companies bringing new designs to showrooms, and all the major car manufacturers racing to bring their versions to the market, it appears that the smart money is betting heavily on the prospects of the electric car.

A few years ago the electric car was a "glorified golf cart". There were only a few models. They could only travel short distances before recharging was required, and their top speeds limited there usefulness to very urban fleet applications. Today, the Tesla Roadster will go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and has a range of 244 miles on a single charge.

The primary complaint voiced by electric car drivers is "range anxiety".  Most of the new models can travel forty to sixty miles before the battery must be recharged. A short commute with a fully charged battery is predictable in distance and topography, and presents no problem. Driving into town with a few friends on a partially charged battery may leave everyone stranded, with few options available to remedy the situation. Ranges are diminished by both hills and load. Currently, there is no way to simply stop in a service station for a fill up, though that may change. One new start up company called Better Place is betting that swapping a depleted battery for one that is fully charged is the way of the future, and has built robots that can make the exchange in about two minutes, about the time it would take to fill up with gasoline. The new Chevy Volt, out in late 2010, has a gasoline powered 1.4 liter engine that can propel the car while recharging the batteries. High end vehicles will come equipped with a GPS system that will monitor the battery charge and locate all charging stations that can be reached before the charge is depleted. This should be generally available in a few years.

Improvements in battery technology and the efficiency of electric motors have made the electric car a viable option. The lithium ion battery increased power to weight ratios. Batteries became smaller. Charging times may still present something of a problem, but times are coming down. The Nissan Leaf, also in production late

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