The second transportation revolution has begun. The gasoline-burning automobile, the first revolutionary change in personal transportation, served us well throughout the 20th century. But it will, and must, give way to a host of advanced transportation technologies and new energy sources that promise us cleaner, better performing cars powered by sustainable fuels. The transition to the cars of the 21st century now underway will be no less profound than the replacement of the horse by the gasoline car a century ago.
Electric cars are perhaps the most alluring prospect of the second transportation revolution.
Quiet, efficient, pollution-free, and ultimately powered by energy from the sun, electric vehicles hold great promise as the transportation technology that will rule the next century. The electric car marks the final step in the metamorphosis of the automobile - the replacement not only of gasoline, but the conventional mechanical drive train as well. An electronically powered and controlled propulsion system is several times more efficient than what is used in conventional cars today and, aided by computers, it provides an unheralded level of vehicle safety and performance. More than 4,000 registered electric vehicles now cruise U.S. roadways. There are several types of electric car.