Could All Cars Be Electric?
Just one per cent of vehicles are powered by electricity
Just one per cent of vehicles are powered by electricity, but CrowdScience listener Randall from Lac du Bonnet in Canada wants to know how quickly that might change, and whether one day all cars could be electric. Marnie Chesterton begins her journey in an electric car, stuck in traffic on a Los Angeles freeway.
It was in California where the modern electric car revival began in the late 1990s with the EV1 – popular with Hollywood celebrities like Mel Gibson and Danny DeVito. More than two decades on, several countries have pledged to go all-electric in future. The latest is China, who currently lead the world in the number of electric vehicles on the road. But is the planet’s power infrastructure even capable of supporting this global electric dream?
Marnie talks to experts about the practicalities of power supply and charging, takes a ride in an electric prototype with enough acceleration to impress even the most cynical petrol head and discovers an extraordinary vision for the future of personalised urban transport.
Do you have a question we can turn into a programme? Email us at crowdscience@bbc.co.uk
Presenter: Marnie Chesterton
Producer: Jennifer Whyntie
(Image: Electric power cord plugged in and recharging the electric vehicle Credit: Getty Images)
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Electric cars are over 100 years old
Duration: 00:55
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- Fri 15 Sep 2017 19:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service except News Internet
- Sat 16 Sep 2017 22:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Sat 16 Sep 2017 23:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service except Americas and the Caribbean, East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Mon 18 Sep 2017 02:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service Americas and the Caribbean
- Mon 18 Sep 2017 04:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service except Americas and the Caribbean, East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Mon 18 Sep 2017 06:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service East and Southern Africa
- Mon 18 Sep 2017 13:32GMT91Èȱ¬ World Service Australasia
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CrowdScience
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