Electric and Hybrid Cars: A History

If we could take all the books about the history of electric cars and mash them together, we might have the perfect account. Until then, this book has its strengths and weaknesses, like most others. The photos and posters of electric cars from 100 years ago are a real hoot, with interesting info to go with them. But factual mistakes in sections on more modern history made me question the accuracy of all the sections. For example, the authors repeatedly refer to the electric cars "sold" as part of California's Zero Emission Vehicle Program (when nearly all of them were leased). They say the Honda EV Plus nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH) lasted only five years, but in the real world NiMH batteries have lasted over 100,000 miles and are still going. They make snarky comments about the EV drivers (that would be us!) whose protests saved some EVs from destruction. They get some dates confused, and though the book appeared in 2005, its account ends before the 2003 gutting of California's crucial Zero Emission Vehicle Program. Still, there are some good overviews of technology, marketing, and politics, but you have to read it all wondering what they got right, and what they didn't.