Right now, electric cars are being sold at a car dealership somewhere near you. These cars are in production now. Some are strictly electric and have short ranges and long charge times, while others are hybrid cars, such as the one pictured to the left, where there is an electric motor and a gas powered generator to supplement the batteries.
The batteries in an electric car are similar to the fuel cells on the previous page in that they use a chemical reaction to generate electricity. The difference is that the batteries have a life span. Eventually they will need to be replaced. The fuel cells will not. They act almost as catalysts themselves, while the batteries act as reactants. Another disadvantage of the batteries is that they take a long time to charge. Drivers could be sitting at the station for over an hour waiting for their batteries to charge. You could fill a tank of hydrogen in about fifteen minutes.
Electric cars, mainly because of their limited range, have limited uses. For long and medium range commuters, the EV (electric vehicles) fall short of the needs of these consumers.