A Few Glitches for Electric Cars

According to CNNMoney.com, if you're looking forward to parking a brand-new electric car in your garage soon, be prepared to spend some money getting that garage in shape.

Electric cars like the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt ideally use special "quick chargers" that have to be hardwired directly into high-power lines. /p>

Last summer, BMW rolled of an experimental fleet of 450 Mini-e electric Mini Coopers in the Los Angeles and New York City areas. By the time the first cars were being delivered, the quick charger equipment had not gotten an official seal of approval from the consumer safety group Underwriters Laboratory, something that's required in many localities./p>

Nissan and GM have been working with city and state governments to prepare them for the arrival of electric car so their customers don't hear, "You need your what inspected?" when they call city hall. Both automakers are also working on public infrastructure for electric cars. But they admit that parking lot charging stations are more important for creating public acceptance of electric cars – to do away with worries about running out of juice – than for actual use. /p>

Click here to read more about the changes in store for consumers looking to make the switch to electric vehicles.