UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies

This report provides a look at the progress in the development of zero emission vehicles beginning in the early 1990s and the important role played by California's Zero Emission Vehicle production requirements. The authors describe the development of better acceleration, top speeds, range per charge, and range per day of new electric vehicles during this period, noting the changes from “golf cars to race cars.” They document the road from the laboratory to the market place for electric vehicles. They describe various components of the vehicles from drive trains and alternating current to drive trains and direct current, battery management systems, regenerative braking system, and air conditioning and heating, among others.