Cars and kilowatts: While Detroit remains uncommitted to electric and hybrid vehicles, private industry in Europe and Japan has already taken the plunge

In February 1974, while delegates from around the world gathered in Washington, D.C., to attend the Third International Electric Vehicle Symposium and Exposition, those who drove to the meeting from nearby suburbia wondered if they could buy enough gasoline to get home. The Arab oil embargo dramatically demonstrated how vulnerable the U.S. transportation system is to even a temporary interruption in petroleum supply. Since then, electric and hybrid vehicles have been getting a hard look from the U.S. Congress and the Department of Energy.