Going electric rather than gas at the Frankfurt car show

So another show ends.Was there anything new? Well,of course there was,but most of it had been previewed.The main story could be said to be electric,or more precisely,the development of electric battery technology.This will govern the future for low emission electric cars.

The Frankfurt Motor Show played host to many manufacturers who were trialling or promoting electric cars demonstrating ,in this era of ever rising oil prices and the need to combat the rate of global climate change, their commitment to invest in environmentally-friendly vehicles.Of course the stick is the possibility of the European Commission regulating an even lower CO2 emissions target than 120g/km.

The steepling price of oil at $80+ a barrel makes the electric car ,with its currently expensive battery, a more commercial proposition for the carmaker.

Taking a current production car upgrade,the Toyota Prius uses new nickel-metal hydride batteries.Such is progress,incoming are the much vaunted lithium-ion batteries producing almost twice the power.But they are still mainly at concept because of cost (and some teething problems - batteries have overheated causing fires).There is the Elettrica which is making its first appearance in the UK. More costly than the G-Wiz,this Italian built car will deliver 70 miles of motoring on a charge at a top speed of 45 mph.

Also on show were the Chevrolet Volt and Volvo Recharge reported previously in these pages, and the Nissan Mixim,another concept, but described by the Sunday Times as "powered by compact lithium-ion batteries ,and is all-wheel drive as it has one electric motor per axle.It may only have been driven to the stand at low speed ..., but Nissan predicts it could have a top speed of 112mph, a range of 90-125 miles between recharges, and a charging time as short as 20-40 minutes." Nissan expect to have electric cars using technology like that on the Mixim by 2010.

BMW weighed in with the Concept X6, with ActiveHybrid,which has been driven on electric power alone,or with combustion engine, or a combination of both.Another exciting prospect for the future was the appearance (see picture above)of the C-Cactus by Citroen.So named because it does not drink much,this car can produce a 97 mpg performance.Using half the number of parts of a conventional car,the C-Cactus also uses a significant number of recycled or recyclable materials.Michelin tyres on 21" wheels contribute to reduced road friction to boost fuel efficiency.

A great show. Much promise for more and stylish green production cars in the near future.