There has been a lot of talk about electric cars this summer.  With movies such as An Inconvenient Truth and Who Killed the Electric Car sparking much needed environmental inquiry in the US, it has become apparent that one of best ways the world could reduce energy use and clean up the environment is to change the way our automobiles are powered.

Until just recently, it appeared that hydrogen was going to be the miracle energy that would revolutionize the automobile industry.  Cheap, efficient, and abundant - initially the promise of hydrogen fuel cells - now simply three words that describe qualities hydrogen fuel cells lack.  Still, a plethora of potential solutions exist, yet unfortunately we can’t have them all.  Of these potential solutions, the one I see that rises above all others is electricity.

The electric car is a concept that failed in the past.  I don’t know for sure whether it was killed by a conspiracy or the market, but it is clear that the electric cars made in the mid 1990s had problems such as short driving ranges, long recharge times, and were expensive.  It was simply a technology that wasn’t ready yet.  Because of this, many people have simply given up on the electric car.