The Future of the Automotive Industry is Electric

If you happen to walk into an auto show in the near future you will notice several changes going on in the automotive industry. For example, walk into the Cobo Center, home of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan and you will immediately realize that a new type of vehicle is taking center stage. In fact, you will see an entire exhibit set up to display only these advanced vehicles. The exhibit has never been at the NAIAS before and truly marks a changing automotive industry.

The exhibit mentioned above is called "Electric Avenue." The purpose of this exhibit is to highlight battery powered vehicles, vehicles which operate without using a drop of gasoline. These vehicles are featured on the main floor of Cobo Center and have drawn a considerable amount of attention. The local news station have covered the exhibit in depth and local newspapers have written detailed articles describing both the vehicles and the curiosity they have drawn from show-goers. "Electric Avenue" features dozens of electric vehicles. Some vehicles are mere concepts and others will enter production within the next few years.

The exhibit is more than just a display. It represents a change in the automotive industry. A change so large that something of this magnitude has never been see before. Automakers including Toyota, Nissan, GM, BMW, Audi, and so on are focusing their efforts on the electric vehicle. The electric vehicle operates free of gasoline and offers buyers the ability to charge by simply plugging the vehicle into an electrical socket. The vehicle's simplicity is intriguing to many as well as its ability to operate free of gasoline.

The push towards electric vehicles is strong, but worldwide acceptance of such a vehicle may be decades away. In the interim, manufacturers have focused a considerable amount of effort on hybrid vehicles. Hybrids utilize a gasoline engine alongside an electric motor and a battery. They combine gas and electric and are a step towards electrification of automobiles. Hybrids are available from virtually every manufacturer including Honda, Toyota, GM, Ford, BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and on and on.

The hybrid vehicle offers some benefits of the battery electric vehicles while combining attributes desired from gasoline powered vehicles. Hybrids offer increased fuel efficiency while also offering performance comparable to a gasoline powered car. Hybrids do not suffer from range related issues of electric vehicles and can operate with readily available gasoline.

Hybrids are a step in the right direction. They signify a trend in the automotive industry and the trend is towards fuel efficient vehicles. Hybrids offer a significant mpg advantage over their gasoline counterparts and apply some technology found on electric vehicles. Many automakers will release electric vehicles within the next 3 years and the trend towards electrification will continue. Most major automakers have scheduled a release of their on electric vehicle within the next 5 years. By 2015, it's anticipated that more than 40 electric vehicles will be available to the public.

If you find yourself at an auto show within the next few years you will see the prominence of electric vehicles. Their displays will continue to grow as automakers follow the trend towards electrification. Curious show-goers will notice electric vehicles from an ever growing list of manufacturers. And soon many of those vehicles will reach showroom floors.

Source: NAIAS Website http://www.naias.com/electric-avenue/electric-avenue.aspx