Ford executive chairman says electric vehicles will be a game changer

Ford executive chairman Bill Ford closed out the 2010 SAE World Congress with a reminder: "All the early cars were electric." Why do so few people remember that electric cars date back more than a hundred years? Ford suggested it's because, electric cars have "been around really for the past century or so, but they really haven't had mass market appeal." There's the answer: without mass market appeal, technologies will be forgotten.
One hundred years from now we may end up looking back and saying the same thing; Hey, do you remember those electric things they called cars that were around for a few years? Nope, do you? The answers will be entirely different if this second coming of the electric car is a success, a point that Ford appears committed to.

An endorsement from one of the world's largest automakers is reassuring. Ford spoke about his company's future and it was blatantly clear that electric vehicles are vitally important:

It appears that the biggest game changer will be electric vehicles. Our plan includes the introduction of five new high-mileage vehicles. The majority of our efforts are aimed at fuel economy leadership. We want to provide affordable fuel economy for million of customers

Ford closed out the speech by stating that technology has come a long way since electric vehicles' (EVs) first go around and said he strongly believes that today's EVs can and will become a mainstream product rather than just an object of lustful desire for the few. If he's right, one hundred years from now we may be asking: Hey, do you remember when gasoline powered our cars? Nope, do you?

[Source: Detroit Free Press]