ELECTRIC CARS

I had my first ride in an electric car today. My sister-in-law's boyfriend has just bought one, a Renault, and he took us out for a short spin in it.

Basically it is just like a normal car, albeit a bit quieter. I thought that its acceleration might be less, but that didn't seem to be the case. However, it does have a big problem with range, which varies between 75km and 150km (depending on the weather and much you thrash it) before you have to change the battery. As well as having a charger at home (which automatically charges the battery during the night, when electricity demand is lower), a company called Better Place is building a network of "battery stations" in Denmark, where you can change your battery. So far, these mainly lie along the motorway network, though presumably Better Place will extend them to areas with less traffic in due course.

We went and watched while the battery was changed. It is fixed under the boot and is quite large, much bigger than a traditional car battery. The station is completely automated, operates 24/7, and looks a bit like a car wash. Having driven in, the floor opens and robots dismantle the existing battery, take it away to the underground storage racks, and install a new one. It takes a bit longer than filling up with petrol, but not that long.

Instead of paying for fuel, you pay a leasing charge, which depends on the number of kilometers you drive a year, and which allows you to change the batteries (which are owned by Better Place, not the owner) as often as you like. This is not cheap, but the price will presumably fall, as more efficient batteries appear on the market. Tesla are apparently about to launch a battery with a range of 400km, which would give a big boost to the market.

I like the idea of electric cars. However, it has to be recognised that the fossil fuel industry has had 150 years to build up the infrastructure necessary to service the internal combustion engine. That means that for at least the rest of this decade, electric cars will be the preserve of the well-off, slightly eccentric, or both.

Walter Blotscher