Electric Cars Driving the Revolution

General Motors’ EV1 was one of the first electric cars that the average person could actually drive. The company’s campaign to ‘kill the electric car’ might have ended that model, but electric vehicles are today widely trumpeted as the way of the future.

The poster child for electric cars is Tesla Motors’ sexy Roadster that has turned heads since its launch. Created to ‘take the pain out of driving an environmentally friendly car’ the Tesla has received rave reviews from environmentalists and car enthusiasts alike. Besides its desirable appearance the Roadster can travel from 0 – 100km/h in under 4 seconds, faster than a Porsche 911. Boasting with a range of 350km, it offers a real alternative to ‘traditional cars’, albeit an expansive one (they sell for about $100 000). Other manufacturers have followed Tesla’s lead in creating with sports models as their higher prices can subsidise much of the development costs. The Fisker Karma, an electric hybrid, is one such example and so is the Lightning GT.

Another approach by manufacturers is to go for smaller, more compact ‘city cars’. Some examples are: the i MiEV by Mitsubishi, the ZENN (Zero Emission, No Noise), THINK City Car and a new electric car by Mercedes built on the Smart fourtwo platform that should get 115 kilometers between charges and get the equivalent of 125 km/l.

As far as more traditional vehicles are concerned, those driving the revolution is the BYD F3DM, the much anticipated Chevrolet Volt (both plug-in hybrids), an electric version of the Toyota RAV 4 SUV and a trio of concept cars by Mercedes called BlueZERO . Much is also expected from the South African designed Joule electric sedan.

By far the most avant-garde looking of current electric car models is the Aptera 2e, a super-efficient electric vehicle that has attracted investment from Google. The all-electric model will sel for $27 000 while a plug-in hybrid, that would get 125 km/l, will sell for $30 000.

For a gallery of leading electric vehicles, click here…