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Electric cars
Hybrid electric cars are likely to be the stepping stone to a new generation of plug-in electric cars that operate almost entirely on their electric motors powered by advanced lithium-ion batteries, the same technology now used in cell phone batteries.
A number of prototype plug-in electric cars have been unveiled recently including GM’s Chevrolet Volt. The Volt has a small three-cylinder petrol engine serving as a generator which kicks in to recharge the battery when its power starts to fade. As envisioned, the Volt would have a top speed of 160 km per hour. It would have an all-electric range of 65 km, more than what many people would typically drive in a day, making it possible for some people to commute to and from work without using any petrol or diesel.
Bear in mind though that much of the electricity used to charge the battery would be from generation plants fuelled by coal or natural gas. To be truly sustainable, electric cars would need to be charged with electricity generated from renewable energy sources such as wind, geothermal or marine energy.
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