Electricity drives forward

Continuous advances in component design and integration are helping to overcome cost and performance obstacles.

According to the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA), if all the vehicles sold in the U.S. in 2020 have an electric drive range of 40 mi (64 km), it will cut liquid fuel consumption by light-duty vehicles by 16% compared to today's levels, an amount that is three-quarters of the way to achieving President Bush's proposed goal to trim fuel consumption by 20% by that date.

Whether or not it is realistic to think that all vehicles sold in the U.S. just a dozen or so years from now will include an electric drive component, surely many of the cars consumers buy in coming years will feature a drivetrain that is partially, if not entirely, electric.