Electric automobile market

At a time when the major Japanese car manufacturers Toyota and Honda began to fight for hybrid cars (powered by both petrol and electricity) customers, smaller firms choose the other way - Mitsubishi introduced the first elektromobile for the global market i-MiEV. This machine can go 160 km in one loading of batteries. 

Mitsubishi itself called i-MiEV a pioneer, wich will open the door to the electric market. However, the risk is large - although the electric technology is rapidly evolving, it is still expensive - the i-MiEV cost $ 47,500, and there is no doubt that hybrid car sales will not be achieved quickly. 

Experts believe that the next 5-10 years electric car will be only a city machine of a limited use, while the hybrid car has become a full alternative to conventional cars. 

Demand for hybrid cars is growing rapidly, approximately half a million were sold in 2008, and 90% of them - Toyota and Honda products. 

However, despite the dominance of hybrid cars, smaller manufacturers, like Tesla (USA) and several Chinese companies believe the future of electric, especially places where pollution is high or fuel is very expensive. Fuji Heavy Industries, Subaru manufacturer, also announced its electric Stella EV debut, the machine provides cost about 48,000 dollars and in a single loading can go 90 km. 

Nissan is also in develping elektromobile, which will begin production in 2010. 

Industry experts believe that the smaller producers started from electrical, because the technology is simpler than the hybrid, the market has not yet been formed and major manufacturers are not dominating. 

So far, one of the biggest problems, holding back buyers is lack of loading stations infrastructure. Despite the high initial cost, operating costs are very attractive - for example, with the i-MiEV to go one kilometer will cost just one cent, while petrol engine fuel costs are ten times greater.