Mandate or no, it is unlikely that, barring technical advances, electric cars will ever expand beyond a niche market. Furthermore, what many have overlooked is that most electric car prototypes have been designed for use in California's temperate climate. Designing electric cars fit for the Northeast is another matter entirely. For one, heating the vehicle in winter draws a tremendous amount of energy, which will in turn reduce the vehicle's driving range. The same holds true for defrosters, windshield wipers, radios, and so on.
Some automakers hope to compensate by installing mini fuel-powered heaters.
These heaters will produce some emissions, as will most power plants upon which the energy for recharging is drawn, but they have been approved by California's Air Resources Board nonetheless. Then there are concerns about batteries freezing. If electric car owners cannot be disciplined to take cautionary actions, cold weather will result in many unhappy drivers. Because analysts don't think that the current generation of electric vehicles will catch on with consumers, government officials have taken to inducing vehicle sales with mandates and regulations. If the technology is not forced on consumers, it will not reach the mainstream for quite some time.