Once we begin to move away from this clamorous demand for hydrocarbons, we won’t be pumping poisonous gas into the atmosphere at such a horrible rate, and there won’t be so much fuss about who’s in control of certain patches of land (although the Sahara might become a hotly contested source of Solar energy collection), and we’ll all get to drive lovely cars like this lot. Given the phenomenal rates of efficiency that you get from an electric motor these days (the fastest of them gets the equivalent of 170 mpg)  and the comparative costs of the same amount of energy out of the wall-socket and the petrol pump, I’m quite looking forward to it. Here are some of the front-runners in the upcoming generation of battery powered vehicles.

Wrightspeed X1

This is a track-day racer being developed in California; if the lines look familiar, it’s because they are using the chassis from the Ariel Atom. This is matched up to a motor that evolves 150kW (about 205hp) to give it a 0-60 time of 3.07 seconds, and a 0-100 of 6.87 seconds. The power of an electric motor is available almost equally throughout the rev range, so full acceleration is always on tap with a press of the right foot. It’s not in production yet, unfortunately.

Electric Lightning GT

A very slinky looking GT coupe from British company Lightning. Boasting 700bhp and a 0-60 time of 4 seconds, the only thing to choose between this little number and an Aston Martin would seem to be the limited range of the battery. I rather imagine gliding the GT silently up to the lights next to a banker in his GT3 might raise some eyebrows. Expect to see the great and the good climbing out of these at movie premieres soon.

Tesla Model S

TechCrunch reporting in the above link, on the decidedly real-world, very much in production Tesla S. If you’re an American, you can put your name down to spend $50,000 on what is very soon going to be Hollywood’s hottest ride. It has the official endorsement that comes with being test-driven by the Governator, and lends the lie to the bleating demands for money that are coming from the rest of the embattled American car industry, having just sold out the company’s entire production capacity for their first year.

Mercedes Electric S-Class

If these upstart manufacturer are not for you, and you want the reassurance of a marque you can rely on, then a little patience might see you able to buy a battery powered S-Class. They’re testing it at the moment, and have it’s range up to the 120 mile mark, another few years research will see charge times falling and power to weight ratios grow enough for Merc to make a practically useful car; look at the phenomenal rate of development of mobile phone batteries once they came into common use.

Tata Indica Vista EV

If you’re short on either patience or cash, and prepared to abandon any illusions of glamour, you may prefer to look to Indian manufacturer Tata to sell you your new ride. They’re the guys who bought Mercede’s old bodywork machinery off them, and used it to build the first incarnation of their TL pickup truck.  Their native indian market is rather different to the one in the West, and they’ve been innovating without shame, this battery powered incarnation of their little saloon, and the RS, a one Lakh (10,000) rupee car, on the market now for £1,300.

GoinGreen G-Wiz

The G-Wiz is a ridiculous looking little thing, but it’s becoming more and more popular for a reason; it’s a really convenient, sensible option as a town car. The size of a smart car, two reasonably sized human beings can get into it with a load of Tesco bags, and you can plug it into a 13 amp socket. As long as you don’t intend to travel long distances, it’s perfect, and in town you can park 3 of them in a normal parking space. I will say that the only time I’ve ever had my hands on one was trying to push it off Shepherd’s Bush roundabout where it had broken down, but this is undoubtedly an unrepresentative experience.

Tamiya – Nissan Electric GTR

Now we’re talking! In full production now, using proven technology, and for sale at a mere £107.50, this racer is within everybody’s budget. Obviously it’s only 1/10th scale, but it’s still great fun to drive.