Electric cars have existed since the dawn of motoring, patiently waiting for that cliche - the breakthrough in battery technology that will allow then to have a similar range to petrol or diesel cars.

Now, it seems the carmakers are looking at electric cars through the other end of the telescope and making plans to produce electric cars for niche markets where long range isn't important - e'g th Reva G-Wiz, although it's rudimentary and minimalist.

This big push for electric cars is going on at the same time as development of hybrids - and some of the technology is transferable between hybrids and pure electrics.

I see one of the biggest opportunities for using electric vehicles is in urban deliveries - glorified milk floats, if you like! Also an electric car would suit many people as their second car.

As for the Nissan Leaf, I'm not so sure because it looks like it's aiming to compete in the mainstream Ford Focus / VW Golf sector.

Possibly little discussion because a lot of people just don't think a purely electric car is a practical proposition at the moment.

SWMBO now works from home and so does a low mileage in her Mini Cooper convertible - shopping, church and twice a week to the hospital where the consultant whose practice she runs has a clinic. So an ideal candidate for an electric car?

Yes, we have a garage with a power point, so OK there - but a great many people who mainly drive in towns have to park in the street. What do they do - run a lead from the house for someone to trip over, hurt themselves and sue, or for teenagers late at night to unplug for a jolly jape?

And then what happens if it's a lovely day and we want to go to, say, Herefordshire or Shropshire, where we might retire to? 250 miles or so in the day, and if it's fine let's take the Mini. No chance if it was a Mini E.

We'd look at a hybrid Mini-sized car: indeed I like the new Prius, but its mpg is no better then the petrol Mini, and quite a lot worse than my diesel Octavia.

Not yet I think - and I wonder if the fuel cell is capable of development better than the battery.

Edited by Avant on 03/05/2010 at 12:49

The numbers don't make sense - quotes from Japanese version of Leaf:

"Nissan's first mass-produced all-electric model will go on sale in Japan next month with a price tag of 3.76 million yen or £27,000."

"Thanks to the Leaf's all-electric drivetrain, Nissan is predicting that during six years of ownership the cost of recharging the car will be 86,000 yen (£618) while an equivalent petrol model would be 670,000 yen (£4818) to refuel."

So paying extra £12-15,000 to save £4,200