The 2006 documentary film, “Who Killed the Electric Car?”, deals with the history of the electric car, specifically the General Motors EV1, and its development in the mid 1990’s. The film explores the roles of automobile manufacturers, the oil industry, the US government, the Californian government, batteries, hydrogen vehicles, and consumers in limiting the development and adoption of this technology. Today’s environmental concerns, volatile gas prices, and advancements in electric car technology, have lead to auto manufacturers and the government into taking a second look at the electric vehicle.

Everyone is familiar with the Toyota Prius, Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf because they were one of the first electric hybrid and electric vehicles sold to the general public, but today, almost every car manufacturer is developing an electric vehicle. Tesla is a car company devoted to building only electric cars, and BMW has recently started it’s own brand of electric vehicles, the i brand, to name a couple.

If you are thinking of making the move to an electric vehicle, here are a few things to consider before making the purchase:

• Even though electric vehicles are advertised as “saving you money at the pumps”, the original purchase price will be more expensive than a conventional vehicle. There are government tax credits for purchasing an electric vehicle, but you will still end up paying a bit more.
• Drivers are limited to the distance they can commute. Battery technology has improved, allowing drivers to travel further distances than ever before, and hybrids add the extra security of an engine back up, but driving an electric vehicle long distances relies on finding charging stations along the way.
• Unless your neighborhood or work place is adequately supplied with charging stations, you will probably want a charging station at your home. This is an added expense to install, and will result in electrical bills being a bit higher.
• Finally, as with all advanced technology products, the longer you wait to buy, the better and cheaper the technology gets. As more auto manufacturers release their versions of the electric car, more data will be available to the consumer to help make the decision of what electric vehicle to buy.

Some other electric vehicles you can expect to see on car lots and roads soon, includes: the Fisker Karma, Ford C-Max Energi, Honda Fit EV, Mitsubishi I, Tesla Model S, Rav 4 EV, and the Fiat 500 electric.