University of California Transportation Center

The report opens with a brief discussion of the role of regional industrial policy in shaping local developmental trajectories.

An outline of the main varieties of electric vehicle technology is presented. Special attention is paid to the operational characteristics of electric vehicles, the various kinds of components and sub-assemblies that go into the vehicles, and the urban infrastructure requirements needed to support extensive electric vehicle usage. A short summary of electric vehicle developments around the world is appended, with particular emphasis on US, Japanese, and European efforts.