Electric cars are buzzing. Twice in two years, the Chevy Volt has edged out the Porsche 911 for highest customer satisfaction in Consumer Reports magazine. In 2011, the all-electric Nissan LEAF was named European Car of the Year. In 2012, the Tesla Model S was awarded Motor Trend’s “Car of the Year”. Sales are rising, too.
All this portends a fundamental shift in the energy landscape. After a century, transportation is decoupling from its complete reliance on oil.
Yet there are some major hurdles. All-electric cars, with no supplemental internal combustion engine, still have shorter range and batteries that are expensive and slow to charge. The car industry is among the most regulated and technology-intensive in the world; today’s cars are packed with computers, intricate emissions systems, even explosives (for air bags).
See full Article: http://forumblog.org/2013/03/paving-the-way-for-electric-cars/
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