Is the electric engine its natural replacement?

Today opens in Detroit the North American International Auto Show, for sure less exuberant, due to an USA car industry on the edge of bankruptcy, but certainly inspired by a new hope for change brought by the forthcoming Obama’s presidency.

Car makers are betting their future. GM, Ford and Chrysler are announcing an electric vehicle between year 2009 and the end of year 2010.

They will start testing the market by producing a limited amount of cars the first year.

It, infact, remains unclear whether consumers will be comfortable with the idea of buying an electric car, or whether these vehicles will priced to compete with comparable gas-powered models. The Chevrolet Volt, for example, is expected to cost around $40,000.

Most of the prospective electric models need to be charged for several hours to cover a day’s worth of driving. The advent of smaller, more advanced lithium-ion batteries is allowing the car companies to develop electric cars with better autonomy and that look, feel and handle much like conventional vehicles due the smaller dimension of the batteries.

But lithium-ion batteries suppliers are mostly nased in Asia so American auto executives have warned that without homegrown suppliers, the country could potentially become as dependent on Asian-made batteries as it is on oil from the Middle East and elsewhere.

But what will determine the market is not going to be how far your battery can go, but how far your infrastructure is spread so power is available.

But this is another strory.

So do humans dream of electric cars?