Electric vehicles, or EVs, have been around for a long time. At the beginning of the 1900s, there were about 50,000 electric vehicles running around the US. As a matter of fact, around the turn of the 20th century there were more electric vehicles than gasoline-powered cars. Women especially favored them over steam and gasoline-powered cars because they were quiet and had no gasoline or exhaust odor. The vehicle pictured at the right is a Rauch and Lang Electric, built in 1918. 

 

Jay Leno in his 1909 Baker Electric

Where the fossil fuel vehicles of today use an internal combustion engine the electric vehicle uses a motor that is powered by electricity stored in batteries located in the vehicle. The size of the battery pack is measured in voltage but it is the amps that propel the vehicle. When the EV is driven the batteries are depleting their charge and will eventually drain to a level where they will need to be recharged. Just like the gas in your Internal Combustion Engine vehicle. As you drive you are depleting the fuel from your tank and eventually you will need to re-fuel. The EV must be recharged by means of a battery charger plugged into a power source. Some EV's use regenerative braking or have an on-board charger. The EV is considered a zero-emissions vehicle with zero tail-pipe emissions. 

Studies show the average commute is 20 to 40 miles. Most EV's average 50 to100 miles per charge which makes the EV the perfect commuter car.