With fuel prices soaring and no end in sight, it only makes sense to look for alternatives. Face it, you need to travel for work, school, or shopping and without a car, these tasks are almost impossible. Not all communities and areas provide public transportation, so what do you do? Converting your car or buying an electric car makes perfect sense.

An electric car is a car that uses electric motors instead of an internal combustion engine. In essence, these cars are rechargeable. They have battery packs that are charged, thus powering the vehicle. You can even convert your already owned car to an electric. There are also cars that utilize both battery power and fuel power. These are known as hybrids and are widely available.

Electric cars are not a new concept. Some of the first cars were electric. The improvement of battery storage helped the electric car to flourish. Many early electric cars hold speed and distance records. Don't worry about electric cars being slow. They are not, this was proved on the popular show Mythbusters. Some of these vehicles can achieve speeds of up to 135 mph, and on a single charge can reach the fuel equivalent of 135 mpg U.S.

The use of Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) batteries makes electric cars capable of distances of up to 245 miles. This is a great improvement from early batteries that could get up to 100 miles on a single charge. In December, 2007, Fortune announced 11 new companies that will begin producing electric cars in the future.

There are several advantages to driving an electric car. It can save you thousands on fuel cost, and with our economy in the shape it's in, this is reason enough. Electric cars are also cleaner, helping the environment. It costs about $1 to charge your electric car and gives you about 100 miles. Driving an electric car also makes you eligible for tax credits from the federal government for driving a car that hosts clean fuel.

It's not an expensive process to convert your car to electric. This can be achieved for about $300.00. With the process being cheap and all the money that you will save, an electric car is perfect for everyone. There are several resources available that tell you what types of tools you'll need, along with easy to follow instructions on how to convert your car to electric.

Among some of the first vehicles produced, electric cars are an economical solution to combat rising fuel costs. They are clean fueled vehicles which are good for the environment. You can get tax credits from the federal government for driving a clean fueled vehicle, and they save you money on rising fuel costs. They are not slow, and make perfect since when searching for an alternative!