Paris: As the race to offer the first commercially viable electric car charges up, automakers hoping to cash in on environmental concerns displayed a slew of models at the Paris Motor Show on Friday.
But executives acknowledged that uncertainties linger over the batteries needed to power them: technology needs to advance to meet cost and weight requirements, and infrastructure to recharge them is lacking.
Some of the models on show are still prototypes - such as Renault SA's ZE Concept - while others such as Daimler AG's all-electric Smart ED, have entered the test phase.
Most of them won't be commercially available for several years - and even then automakers say they will struggle to meet demand.
"The investments needed for electric cars are colossal," Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn said during the auto show, which opened to the public yesterday and runs for two weeks. "The question is not whether demand will be sufficient. It is whether supply will be able to follow the demand that is already out there," he said.
Electric vehicles have been around for over a century: In 1899, the wiener-shaped "Jamais Contente" or "Never Happy" broke the 100km/h barrier when motor cars still were a rare sight. Hindering the development of the electric car was its capacity for energy storage: batteries lacked the performance and range required for regular use. But recent developments in lithium-ion cell technology are promising.
