An electric car in every garage: This optimistic goal is far off; progress toward it hinges on high-performance batteries

After a decade of development, the electric vehicle is in modest supply in the United States in December 1990. Hundreds of thousands - some say about a million - are operating on roads. For the buyer, the choice is among two- and four-passenger cars, some vans, and some trucks - but all limited to about 150 km on a 6- to 10-hour nighttime battery recharge. For most families, the electric is a second car or an auxiliary vehicle, for urban and suburban driving. Many utilities encourage nighttime charging of batteries by providing lower electricity rates then. Nights have traditionally been the lowest demand periods for electric energy. The electric vehicles meet all the Federal motor vehicle safety standards. They can accelerate from 0 to 50 km/h in about 8 seconds, and cruise at 90 km/h. They can merge smoothly with other traffic on the road and seem to have no problem operating in - 10°C in northern areas.