In the next year or so electric cars, or zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) as they are sometimes called, 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 vehicles are already for sale to car owners in many parts of the world and are ready to become significantly more sophisticated and widespread in the coming years.

The concept of an electric car is nothing new, it has been around for decades. That said, the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions in an attempt to slow global warming has quickened the development of this next generation of road transport.

Affordable electric vehicles and ZEVs are already being produced and will shortly be widely available in showrooms around the world. We are already familiar with hybrid cars, which have been in existence for many years. These cars alternate between electric and gasoline propulsion to help reduce emissions. Electric cars take clean motoring to a higher level, in that they have no emissions whatsoever – they don’t even have a tail pipe. The benefits of this are likely to be dramatic, especially in polluted urban areas, as electric vehicles and ZEVs become the norm.

So how does the electric car function? Electric cars use electric motors and motor controllers instead of the traditional internal combustion engine. Rather than the usual gasoline, these vehicles are propelled by electricity from battery packs, although cutting edge methods of energy storage are being developed that are likely to replace battery packs in the not too distant future. Already, special refilling stations for the electric vehicle revolution are springing up on roadsides around the world where motorists can pull in and refuel their electric cars, just like at a normal filling station.

However, for some motorists, the transition from the conventional gasoline car that we all know and love to electric cars and ZEVs will require a huge leap of faith. However, electric cars have so many benefits that the transition should be a pretty painless one.

Running costs – The fact that electric cars are cheaper to run and cost less to keep on the road will likely win over their most steadfast detractors. Car owners will get far more miles for their money and the cost of maintaining these vehicles will be much cheaper than servicing a normal car.

The environment – As electric vehicles become more common, the advantages to the environment will be very significant. This is particularly the case in large urban areas where smog and poor air quality at street level presents a grave health hazard to residents.

A number of worries do remain over electric vehicles, such as the length of time it takes to recharge battery packs, the top speeds and acceleration of the cars, and concerns such as handling and performance. However, as car makers pump more and more resources into perfecting these vehicles, these issues are likely to be ironed out sooner rather than later.