BY AMANDA BLOYE, FW Writer

Years ago in a land far, far away a creation was
born with the promise of a bright future. It
would change the way humanity lived. It would
revolutionize the auto industries of the world
and would help to improve our efforts toward
a healthier environment. With the birth of the
electric car it seemed a star was born. Why then,
has the electric car seemingly vanished from the
public’s radar?

Perhaps it was that, until recently, owning
or driving an electric car was viewed as more
punishment than luxury.

Tesla Motors, a company that produces and
develops electric cars states that, previously,
“Electric cars have had terrible range and
embarrassing styling. To those who say electric
cars have been tried and failed [Tesla Motors]
says, ‘of course electric cars won‘t catch on if no
one actually wants to drive them’.”

One possible contributing factor to the
electric car’s demise was the battery. According
to the website for the Sony film Who Killed the
Electric Car, “The battery is often the scapegoat
in justifying the failure of the EV. [It’s] not
powerful enough. [There are] too many
technological hurdles and it’s too expensive.”
Unfortunately this excuse was deemed
unconvincing, as the battery was the least likely
suspect in the death of the electric car.

The guilty parties in the death of the car
are the individuals and companies involved with
the automobile industry who too greatly benefit
from the production of fuel-powered cars. The
“oil guys, car guys, government, California Air
Resource Board and even the consumer” have all
played their own part in the electric car’s death.

So what is it that all of this fuss is about?
Why was the dream of a popular, working
electric car such a revolutionary product?

An electric car works by running entirely on
electricity. It is “powered by a set of rechargeable
batteries that provide electricity to the car’s
motor which then triggers the transmission and
wells, inevitably causing the car to move.”

NEVER REALLY GONE
To be fair, the electric car has not been entirely swept under
the rug. Sure the “original” electric cars that were made
popular by California’s 1990 zero-emission vehicle program
were almost all destroyed by 2005, but fortunately for the
eco-friendly the brilliance of this technology can never really
die. Hybrid vehicles combine the efficiency of an electric
car with the power of a fuel engine to bring the next step
towards a sustainable environment.

One hybrid we at Fashion Weekly love is the 2008
Honda Civic Hybrid. With its sleek design, the added power
of the Integrated Motor Assist system (IMA) and exceptional
fuel efficiency, the Civic Hybrid offers consumers the best
of both worlds. The Civic Hybrid also features all of the
“stylish interior amenities and comfortable luxuries of its
cousin the Civic Sedan” including six-speaker AM/FM/CD
audio system, steering wheel-mounted controls and power
doors, windows and mirrors.

The Civic Hybrid has won several awards including
a five-star safety rating by National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration, car of the year by the Automobile
Journalists Association of Canada, the award for most fuelefficient
compact car by EnerGuide 2007, and was deemed
one of Kelley Blue Book’s Top Ten autos with the best resale
value.

Although many individuals are still hoping for a
vehicular resurrection, consumers can rest assured that
the electric car’s child, the hybrid, is not going anywhere.
That said some companies are taking steps in the electric
direction. Tesla Motors’ mission is to design and sell a line
of electric cars that is not only efficient but is desirable and
affordable. Tesla Motor’s cars “combine style, acceleration,
and handling with advanced technologies that make them
among the quickest and the most energy-efficient cars on the
road.”

Perhaps with steps toward a sustainable environment
the electric car will be alive once more and we’ll all be able to
breathe air that’s a little cleaner.