A little as two years ago many of the automaker heads were making rude remarks about the future of electric cars. My, how the times have changed! Now they're all rushing to introduce hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and pure electrics, either as production cars or prototypes. Nowhere was this more evident than at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show where an entire section was devoted to electric cars. The New York Times has a slide show on the new models, which you can view here, although the editorial team missed the Audi e-tron, a major oversight in my opinion. England's ClassicDriver magazine did, however, offer a feature on the car with several photos and considerable detail.

Audi is one of the companies that had ignored (or pretended to ignore) the role of electric cars in the near future. The rear-wheel drive e-tron is powered by two electric motors mounted on the rear axle, producing 204 hp and a massive amount of torque. Weight has been kept down due to careful use of materials and a powerful lithium ion battery pack. 0 to 62 acceleration takes but 5.9 seconds, with 37mph to 75mph coming up in 5.1 seconds. Top speed is limited to 124mph. Range in the combined cycle should be approximately 155 miles. The new Audi can be recharged in 11 hours but use of 400 volts/32 amps cuts this to around two hours. A heat pump provides cabin heating with a minimum input of additional, stored battery energy. At the rear a new brake-by-wire system uses two floating-caliper brakes mounted on the axle, actuated purely by electronics. Front brakes are conventional hydraulics. Reminiscent of the TT, with similar handling but better looking, the Audi e-tron suggests a sporting future for electric cars. Obviously the bright light was on in the company's advanced design and engineering studios long before the executives were willing to admit it.

Back in the land of here-and-now a collaboration by Mitsubishi of Canada and Hydro-Québec will put up to 50 zero-emission all-electric i-MiEV passenger cars on the streets of the City of Boucherville in the largest Canadian project ever fielded to integrate, test, and evaluate all-electric vehicles under real-world conditions. Smart move, for Quebec winter driving conditions are the toughest of any Canadian province or northern US state. Believe me, I've lived there and I know. Which, of course, is why I now live on Canada's west coast where snow stays up in the mountains where it belongs.