Are Electric Cars A Breath of Fresh Air or a False Hope?
And What's the Status of Electric Vehicle Technology, Anyway? By David Tenenbaum, Staff Writer, National Institute for Science Education

In December, California cut the power on the motor that had been driving the electric vehicle industry. California was planning to require that 2 percent of 1998 vehicles sold in the state produce "zero emissions" (translated: be powered by batteries). No longer--the state's Air Resources Board decided to phase in the requirement more slowly.

This view of smog in Los Angeles helps explain why the State of California has been a leader in promoting clean air technology.

Still, by 2003, 10% of the new fleet would have to meet the zero-emission requirement.

The decision was a political and economic setback for an industry that is struggling with the technical demands of storing enough electricity to get cars where they need to go. Its effects on the quality of air in California, which has four of the worst nine air-pollution regions in the country, remains to be seen.

What's the status of electric-vehicle batteries? I've heard that electric cars can will only get 50 miles between charges. Is this true?

Did California's decision to "drive technology" with the zero-emission requirement make any sense in the first place?

What's the big advantage of electric cars, anyway?

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