A new car, a new grid: The electric car is back (with Help from New Batteries, a Smarter Grid, and Uncle Sam)

Why electrified transportation? Why now? For decades, inventors, manufacturers, and consumers have tinkered with the idea of electrifying transportation. To date, however, the global transportation fleet remains fossil fuel based. Other technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells and biofuels have also been "on the near horizon" for years. So what makes electrifi ed transportation feasible now, and how likely is it that it will transform the transportation sector? Let's look at the facts. © 2010 IEEE.