History

• Electric cars are actually not any newer than gas-powered cars. In fact, early auto pioneers experimented with both types of power sources before the internal combustion engine emerged as the standard, and gas- or diesel-powered cars became the norm around the world. Electric cars have reemerged in recent decades, along with gas-electric hybrids. However, gas-powered cars still represent the majority of cars on the road.
  
  

Technology

• Gas- and electric-powered cars use very different technology to achieve the same effect. Gas-powered cars feature an internal combustion engine that compresses a mixture of fuel and air, igniting it with a spark plug to produce a rapid series of small explosions. These explosions turn a crankshaft, which the transmission's gears convert into forward power to drive the car. An electric car includes an electric motor, which generates a magnetic field to turn the crankshaft. The battery pack that feeds electricity to the motor is comparable to a gas-powered car's fuel tank.
  
  

Environmental Impact

• One of the key differences between gas- and electric-powered cars is their respective impact on the environment. Gas-powered cars use fuel that comes from petroleum, requiring the extraction and processing of crude oil. Besides the environmental damage that comes from drilling, gas-powered cars also produce harmful carbon emissions as a by-product of the combustion process. Electric cars produce no emissions directly, but the original source of the electricity might, as in the case of coal-burning power plants. Clean nuclear, tidal or solar power plants can provide clean fuel for electric cars, giving them the smallest environmental footprint.
  
  

Drawbacks

• While gas-powered cars have significant environmental drawbacks, electric cars are not without their own problems. For one thing, an electric car's range is limited by its battery capacity. Battery technology is much more expensive than traditional gas-powered drivetrains, making it impractical to produce all-electric cars in large numbers. Some electric cars, known as extended-range vehicles, use a small gas engine to recharge the batteries while driving, thus extending the range to a more acceptable level.
  
  

Models

• Most of the cars on the road today are gas-powered, with gas-electric hybrids growing in number every year. General Motors's EV1 was an all-electric car that debuted in the 1990s, but was soon discontinued. The Chevy Volt is a more recent GM venture into electric vehicle production, though it is actually an extended-range hybrid. Nissan's all-electric LEAF became available on a very limited basis in 2010. Other electric vehicles remain in the development or experimental phases.