1. Although electric vehicles will not be truly practical until a powerful, compact battery or another dependable source of current is available, transportation expects foresee a new assortment of electric vehicles entering everyday life: shorter-range commuter electric cars, three-wheeled neighborhood cars, electric delivery vans, bikes, and trolleys.

2. As automakers work to develop practical electric vehicles, urban planners and utility engineers are focusing on infrastructure systems to support and make the best use of the new cars. Public charging facilities will need to be as common as today’s gas stations. Public parking spots on the street or in commercial lots will need to be equipped with devices that allow drivers to charge their batteries while they stop, dine, or attend a concert.

3. To encourage the use of electric vehicles, the most convenient parking in transportation centers might be reserved for electric cars. Planners foresee electric shuttle buses, trains, and neighborhood vehicles all meeting at transit centers that would have facilities for charging and renting.

4. Commuters will be able to rent a variety of electric cars to suit their needs: light trucks, one-person three-wheelers, small cars, or electric gasoline hybrid cars for longer trips, which will no doubt take place on automated freeways capable of harnding five times the number of vehicles that can be carried by a freeway today.

What is one of the challenges electric vehicles face before becoming truly practical?