ELECTRICAL CARS CHARGED AHEAD

For the first time since the 1990s, electric cars built by major automakers are hitting the streets. OK, they’re still prototypes. But we’re not talking about the dubious concept cars that have long been a staple of the big international auto shows. These are actual, drivable electric vehicles (EVs), assigned honest-to-God production dates of as soon as late 2010. Their arrival suggests that the electric-car revival might just
happen after all. Here’s a look at what’s coming

Nissan EV-02
THE PROMISE Nissan says its five-passenger, pure-electric subcompact car will go into limited release in North America next year and enter global production in 2012. Capable of charging overnight from a 220-volt outlet, the EV-02 will probably have a top speed of about 85 mph and a 100-mile range. The boldest claim is that it will cost no more than your average compact car (think: less than $30,000).

Nissan spent much of the spring parading an EV test car—a Nissan Cube fitted with the all-electric powertrain—around the country. Meanwhile, the company has been working with Renault, the entrepreneur Shai Agassi, and various national, state and local governments to encourage the construction of EV  infrastructure. Nissan also has a long-standing joint venture with NEC that gives it ready access to lithium-ion batteries, presumably at a good price.

Chevrolet Volt
THE PROMISE The Volt is an “extended range electric vehicle” that will travel 40 miles on a single charge of a 400-pound lithium-ion battery. After that, a small flex-fuel engine kicks in to power the electric motor.

This spring, we drove a Volt “mule” (a Chevy Cruze fitted with the Volt powertrain; go to popsci.com/volt for more) and found it to be powerful and smooth, performing like a silent version of your standard peppy small sedan. Since then, GM has begun building dozens of prototypes.

Ford Focus Battery Electric Vehicle
THE PROMISE Due out in 2011, Ford’s electric Focus hides 23 kilowatt-hours’ worth of batteries
in the trunk and under the seats. It charges in six hours from a 220-volt outlet (12 hours from 110
volts) and drives up to 100 miles per charge.

The greatest compliment you can pay an electric car is to say it’s indistinguishable from the gas version, and that’s what early drivers of
the electric Focus prototype have reported so far