HMT-Roger

In 2012, maybe 2013, the automotive industry will experience "an EV Spring," predicts Tony Posawatz, father of the Chevy Volt.

As vehicle line director for the most important program at General Motors, Posawatz was being only a little tonguein-cheek as he compared the ------ of electric cars to a political revolution.

But the revolution is coming, if not next year when half a dozen electric vehicles reach the showrooms of GM, Ford, Toyota, Nissan and others, then a year or so later when enough are on the road to cause a massive detour in public opinion.

Mass conversion is inevitable, Posawatz says. But right now what passes for common knowledge holds that electric vehicles are too expensive, have limited range and are not worth the investment.

But as early owners of the plug-in Nissan Leaf are discovering, "total cost of ownership is the same or less" than a conventional car, says Mark Perry, director of product planning and strategy for Nissan Americas.

Which is why Nissan-Renault has placed a $4.5-billion bet on the future by building bricks and mortar capacity for 550,000 EV units a year.

The two were speaking at the third annual international conference on electric cars called The Business of Plugging in. The audience: several hundred executives of parts suppliers, electrical utilities.

Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/cars/...905/story.html