The Growth of Zero-Emissions Vehicles

This post, part of a series we're running all about electric cars, was written by Mark Boyer from HowStuffWorks.com.

The growth of zero-emissions vehicles (ZEVs) -- a category that includes electric plug-ins, hybrid plug-ins and hydrogen fuel cell-powered cars -- has always been a David vs. Goliath story. Virtually everyone except for the big oil companies seems to agree that electric cars are the future, but challenges related to battery technology, infrastructure and affordability (and some major foot-dragging by carmakers) have conspired to stall the success of zero-emissions vehicles over the past two decades.

Perhaps that's why the story plays so well on the big screen. Chris Paine's popular 2006 documentary, "Who Killed the Electric Car?" tells the story of the EV1, a car that General Motors started producing in 1996 in response to the California Air Resources Board's Zero Emissions Vehicle mandate. The mandate, which was made in 1990, required that by 1998, 2 percent (and by 2003, 10 percent) of new cars sold in California be 100-percent emissions-free. Believing that electric cars wouldn't be popular or cost-effective enough to make much profit, GM and other auto manufacturers successfully lobbied to overturn the mandate, and GM recalled the cars and scrapped them.

Now, with some pretty significant technological breakthroughs and political shifts, the electric car is on the verge of a comeback, but it still has some major hurdles to overcome. The biggest challenge is infrastructure. The market for plug-in vehicles is currently limited to those with a garage in which to charge them. However, public battery-charging facilities are cropping up in cities like New York, San Francisco and Detroit, and more could be on the way.

During his 2008 presidential campaign, President Obama vowed to put 1 million electric cars on the road by 2015. It's not clear whether he'll be able to make good on that promise, but the federal government is currently offering $7,500 tax incentives that are meant to defray the cost of developing new technology. The new generation of electric cars will use lithium-ion batteries, like the ones that power most laptop computers. The problem with those is the cost; the battery pack for each car can cost as much as $10,000. In August, a startup founded by an MIT scientist announced that it could produce similar batteries for 85 percent of the price.

GM got back in the act with the Chevy Volt, which is set to debut in November 2010, and Ford, Nissan and Daimler are also currently developing new zero-emissions cars. The Nissan Leaf, which will debut in 2011, is perhaps the most highly anticipated ZEV in development. To deal with infrastructure issues, Nissan is working with government agencies around the world to help build a network of charging stations. For consumers, the good news is that while the next generation of zero-emissions cars is likely to be more expensive than typical gas-guzzlers, the cost of charging them is pretty low. One recent estimate pegged the cost of charging an electric car between $190 and $278 per year -- roughly the cost of running an air conditioner.