How Far Can Electric Cars Travel?

While electric vehicles are more environmentally friendly than gasoline vehicles, an electric car's range is limited by the battery pack and driving conditions, and varies by vehicle.

Tesla Roadster

The Tesla Roadster, which hit the market in 2008, was the first electric production car to use higher power lithium-ion batteries and has a range of more than 200 miles, depending on driving conditions.

Zap Xebra

The Xebra is intended as a commuter car and has a maximum range of 25 miles but can travel up to 40 miles a day if the batteries are charged between trips.

Chevy Volt

The Volt can travel up to 40 miles on electric-only power and after that, a gasoline-powered generator kicks in to charge the battery pack.

Neighborhood Electric Vehicles

A variety of neighborhood electric vehicles are on the market. They can only travel a maximum of 25 mph. They include the Zenn and the Gem, which have a range of 40 miles and 30 miles, respectively.

Technological Advances

Battery technology continues to evolve, and Nissan anticipates having lithium-ion batteries that would give a car a range of nearly 250 miles ready to hit the market by 2015.

References

• Wall Street Journal
• Electric Auto Association