IS there a need for a new breed of tiny gas-free commuter cars that match the old stereotypes of electric vehicles — that they are puny, plasticky and incapable of going very far?
In recent weeks I’ve driven three such vehicles, all smaller and less substantial than the well-publicized Nissan Leaf, an electric compact, and Chevrolet Volt, a plug-in hybrid with an electric engine to back up its batteries.
The three new entries — the Think City, the Smart Fortwo ED and the Mitsubishi i-MiEV (to be renamed the “i”) — do not pretend to be all things for all drivers. But neither are they glorified golf carts or low-speed neighborhood vehicles like the ones seen in retirement communities.
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