 it seems like only 40 years ago talk about eyeopening the mackinac center for public policy has a post about the electric car with a surprise twist americans are optimistic by nature at least until recently when they have become increasingly worried about the direction the country is headed and what that means for our children s future nowhere is our national optimism more apparent than in quest for perpetual motion through the electrification of the automobile quoting from an article that appeared in the detroit free press c ompanies are searching for a billiondollar breakthrough in battery design general dynamics is working on a zincair cell battery ford is actively interested in a sodiumsulfur cell gulton industries and general motors are tinkering with lithium mdash nickel and lithium mdash chlorine westinghouse is in the act the edison electric institute is all charged up all the activity is bound to pay off probably within the next five years mdash in the production of an electric car that would meet minimum design requirements and for the pay off sounds like something pulled right from today s headlines doesn t it actually the article was written by james kilpatrick and appeared in the july 24 1967 edition of the free press fast forward more than 40 years and we are still being told the electrification of the automobile is our transportation future companies have been working to perfect this technology for over 40 years and the work goes on i understand that the high priests of global warming have demanded such obeisance from the auto industry in order to satisfy the gods of their imaginary crisis but until americans actually want to buy electric vehicles in large numbers gasolinepowered cars will continue to overwhelmingly dominate the roads  