Today’s Fight For The Electric Car Of Tomorrow

More than two-million electric cars may be on the road by year’s end. They are the future. It’s a real battle to see who will make the best. We’ll look at Tesla vs. Detroit and the world.

Everybody’s coming out with new electric cars. They’re all the buzz at the Paris Auto Show. A dozen manufacturers introduced new electric car lines – GM and Ford, very much included. Tesla’s been breaking ground for years. Now there’s real competition. Range pushing out to 200 miles. By one estimate, 60 percent of all cars on the road by 2030 will be electric. Tackling climate change depends on that. Lots of drivers aren’t waiting. This hour On Point, sizing up the new wave of electric cars. — Tom Ashbrook

Aaron Robinson, executive editor for Car and Driver.

Mark Vaughn, West Coast editor for Autoweek. (@MVaughnAW)

Darin Gesse, product manager for Chevy electric vehicles.

Andrew Yates, associate professor of economist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Co-author of a study on the environmental benefits of driving electric vehicles.

Washington Post: Tesla, once beloved by critics, ranks near bottom of new Consumer Reports survey — "Tesla, the upstart all-electric automaker that once landed Consumer Reports' best-ever performance rating, has now achieved a far less impressive feat, with a ranking from the reviewer that labels it one the least reliable car companies in America."

Autoweek: Here’s another look at the coming Fisker EV — "Henrik Fisker sent over a shot this morning showing the front end of his new car. We will be able to see the whole car by the middle of next year, he said. Note that there is no grille, which you would expect given the electric drivetrain — there’s no radiator to require one. But the EV front end posed a challenge."

Forbes: Auto Industry Cranks Up For More Electric Cars As Hybrids Edge Batteries — "The auto industry has convinced itself it needs to produce more electric vehicles, but there’s one more decision to make – should it go for battery only, or plug-in hybrid. At the moment, the future looks to be with plug-in hybrids, with battery-only less favored. Meanwhile Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is adamant it has to be pure electric. A plug-in hybrid is a mere interim solution on the way to an all electric future, Musk says."