Electric vehicles are powered by batteries. Before, these batteries were alkaline, but today they are lithium-ion, which are more efficient, have longer lives, and are lighter (weight, or lack of it, is VERY important in a vehicle). The batteries are recharged by plugging them into the main power grid. The AC (alternating current) power from the grid must be converted to DC (direct current) in order for it to be stored in the battery. If the electric motor that drives the wheels is AC, the DC must be converted back to AC in order to power the car. If the motor is DC, the power must be controlled by a controller.
Electric vehicles are pollution-free. If the electricity from the grid is made with wind, solar, nuclear, etc energy, then the vehicle truly generates no emissions. Electric vehicles are lighter than traditional automobiles because they either have much simpler engines or no engine at all. The technology in EV's is proven. It isn't all that difficult to hook up a battery to a motor and let it run. Battery life and storage is increasing steadily. Finally, EV's leave plenty of room for improvement. The batteries can always be upgraded and the motor made more efficient.
EV's do have problems, though. Currently, battery life and storage is not very good. The range of an EV on one charge can be as low as 50km, or as far as 200km. Improvements will raise these figures, but it may take a while. Most of the energy in the U.S. is not made from clean sources. If an EV used electricity made by a plant burning coal, it would still pollute, albeit indirectly. Electric vehicles are in production by some companies. However, they are only available in very small numbers and are only sold in niche markets, to people who have a specific use for them. Finally, because of the lower maintainence costs and better efficiency of these vehicles, car dealers do not particularly want to sell them, since they would result in less profits.
Electric vehicles are an excellent concept that would be very feasible for the majority of driving (most people drive their cars less than 100km per day), but have some major obstacles to overcome.
