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electric car, hybridVery few people really know much today about the experience of owning an electric vehicle of course, given that EVs are not widely available. Nissan hopes to change this by the end of the year when its fully electric Leaf debuts. However, owning an electric vehicle promises to be a lot different than owning any other type of car, different even from plug-in hybrids such as the Chevy Volt set to arrive later this year as well.

The main difference is, obviously, that an electric car has no backup power (such as the plug-in Volt's gasoline combustion engine). If, for example, you find yourself in your Leaf with an empty battery miles from home, it'll be a bit like running out of gas, except that in an old-fashioned car you could walk to the nearest gas station or call AAA or a tow truck for help. Re-charging an electric battery requires a power source and, although there may very well be roving re-charge trucks deployed from service stations in the future, this won't be a great backup plan in the near term.

To read the full, original article click on this link: Observations: What will it be like to own an electric car in 2011?

Author: Larry Greenemeier