"Plenty of Hype — and Questions — About Electric Cars"

"AUSTIN, TEXAS — Electric cars are coming! Electric cars are coming!

The hype is virtually inescapable. Nissan has already received more than 27,000 reservations around the world for the Leaf, its all-electric car, which is to start arriving in the United States and Japan in December and several European markets soon thereafter. General Motors will make 10,000 Volt cars, its plug-in hybrid, next year; they will soon hit the streets of U.S. cities like Austin, Texas. Tesla, the California-based maker of a plug-in sports car called the Roadster, just opened its first Asian showroom, in Tokyo.

But for ordinary people willing to swallow the high price tag (nearly $33,000 for the Leaf in the United States), plenty of questions about electric cars remain. Where can the cars be charged? What happens if they need to be fixed? How long will a charge last?  "

Kate Galbraith reports for the New York Times October 31, 2010.

SEE ALSO:

"Honda CEO Sees Potential In Electric Car Market" (Reuters)

"Japan’s Auto Parts Makers Try to Anticipate Shift to Electric Cars" (New York Times)

"Chevy Volt Pricey But Solid" (Boston Herald)

"Volt Ripped as 'Electric Edsel'" (Kiowa County Signal)