Quote Originally Posted by Sailing into trouble View Post
At the moment many of the "new cars" are not environmentally friendly. That will come latter. It is a new technology. Think about it like the new hybrids are Ford T's. major breakthrough, but bloody crude machines compared to 100 years later.
Electric engines predate combustion engines, and propelled more cars in the early years of the automobile than gas or Diesel motors. What if there were no oil? We might have roads with electricity supply installed in them, cables and contacts, much like for trams or trains, but underneath. No batteries. An electric engine producing 1,000hp and 1,000 Nm of torque is a lot simpler, smaller, lighter, durable, and cheaper than a combustion engine of the same power. We could go at 300 mph routinely, if we had not taken the wrong turn with oil.