Within the next year or two electric cars, or zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) as they are sometimes referred to, will be an everyday sight on roads right across the world. The stuff of science fiction books will have have become science fact.

Basic electric cars are already for sale to motorists in some places and are due to become dramatically more sophisticated and widespread in the coming years.

The idea of an electric car is nothing new, it has been around for a number of years. That said, the urgent need to decrease carbon emissions in an attempt to slow global warming has quickened the development of the next generation of road transport.

Affordable electric vehicles and ZEVs are already being manufactured and will shortly be widely available in car dealers around the globe. We are already familiar with hybrid vehicles, which have been available for many years. These vehicles alternate between electric and gasoline propulsion to aid in the reduction of emissions. Electric vehicles take eco-friendly motoring to a higher level, in that they have no emissions whatsoever – they don’t even have a tail pipe. The advantages of this are set to be dramatic, especially in polluted heavily populated areas, as electric vehicles and ZEVs become more popular.

So how does the electric vehicle function? Electric cars use electric motors and motor controllers rather than the traditional internal combustion engine. Rather than the usual gasoline, these vehicles are propelled by electricity from batteries, although cutting edge methods of energy storage are being developed that are likely to replace battery packs in the near future. Already, special refueling stops for the electric vehicle revolution are springing up on roadsides around the world where motorists can stop and refuel their electric vehicles, just like at a normal filling station.

However, for many car owners, the transition from the usual gasoline car that we all know and love to electric cars and ZEVs will require a significant leap of faith. However, electric vehicles have so many things going for them that the transition should be a pretty smooth one.

Running costs – The fact that electric vehicles are more economical to run and cost less to keep on the road will likely win over their fiercest detractors. Car owners will get a lot more miles for their dollar and the cost of maintaining these cars is set to be a lot cheaper than servicing a normal car.

Global warming – As electric cars become more widespread, the benefits to the environment will be huge. This is especially true in large densely populated areas where smog and air pollution at street level presents a significant health hazard to residents.

A number of concerns do remain over electric vehicles, such as how long it takes to recharge batteries, the top speeds and acceleration of the vehicles, and issues such as handling and performance. That said, as car makers pump more and more cash into fine tuning these vehicles, these issues are likely to be solved sooner rather than later.