Electric car

Electric car, automobile powered by electricity. Electric cars were in use in the United States in the 1870s and remained in production until 1930, when they were displaced by the gasoline engine. Recently the electric car has been under reexamination because it is quiet, cheap to run, requires no oil or water, and emits no pollutants. A rechargeable battery or bank of batteries drives an electric motor that turns the wheels. The range of electric cars on single charge is still very limited, up to about 40 mi (64.4 km). Higher capacity silver/zinc and sodium/sulfur storage batteries under development promise a longer range. Fuel cells similar to those used to power spacecraft systems have also been applied to electric car propulsion, giving a theoretical range of about 150 mi (242 km). But many serious problems remain to be solved before family-sized electric cars become practical.