I don’t think we’ll be driving full electric cars in the next 2 years (although I really hope so), simply because of the petrol lobby. At least, not with a decent range (500Km or more). So I think the closest we can get is to drive a plug-in hybrid, something we can charge overnight and run full electric on the commute to work (30 to 60 km), but still use on the long trip with the whole familly to your birthland.
Still, my ideal car is a full electric vehicule, with an optional, LPG-powered, combustion engine-based, range-extending module. This module, essentially a small box (containing the engine, gas tank and alternator) could easily be installed and removed from the car, and left in your garage.
The extension module simply charges the batteries, and keeps the car running for longer. Like this, we could have a 1000+ Km range for the long runs (with quick fill-ups on the gas station) but we wouldn’t spend needless energy transporting the extension module on small trips, when we clearly didn’t need it (wich should be most of the time).
If this car does not appear in 2 years time, I’ll build a prototype myself! 🙂 After all, I am an Electronics and Telecommunications Engineer, my father is a Mechanical Engineer, and my father-in-law is a very skilled and experienced metal-worker. All I have to do now is to find the time to do it, lure my father to Portugal again, and persuade my father-in-law.
All it takes is a chassis, an electric motor, an electronic motor driver, a battery bank, some mechanical coupling, control electronics, and an on-board computer. And a lot of work.
This would be an amazing project for next year, but I already have 2 projects underway… that really must be finished first.