These Are Not Golf Carts

Electric vehicles are generally not for the open road. Their range between chargings is about 60 kilometers at most, which precludes long journeys, and they top out at around 60 km per hour, which makes them unsuitable (and illegal) for freeway use. But as early-adopters have discovered, they're practical city cruisers and loads of fun to drive. Best of all, the thrills they offer are guilt-free.

Last week I drove three slow-speed electric cars currently available in North America. Contrary to the persistent Internet buzz--much of it clearly generated by people who haven't experienced today's plug-ins firsthand--they are not glorified golf carts, but rather "real" vehicles comparable to the pint-sized Japanese imports than stormed U.S. shores in the 1960s, which, for those too young to remember life before the compact disc, were considerably more sprightly and bare-bones than today's entry-level motors.

For drivers accustomed to, say, North America's best-selling car, Toyota's Camry, the plug-ins are tiny, light and bouncy on rough roads. And they lack sound insulation, plush interiors, gaudy chrome bits or anything else non-essential that would add weight and shorten ranges. Radios, power windows and such are options--but they sip from the same power source as the drive motor, as do the headlights, windshield wipers, heaters, defrosters and turn signals. They also lack air bags and impact-absorbing bumpers, but per U.S. low-speed vehicle requirements, have three-point seatbelts and automotive safety glass.

On the upside, they're whisper quiet (which can catch pedestrians off-guard). And as with vintage British roadsters, gauges are minimal; the only one that really matters is the battery charge level. Run it too deep into the red and you're walking. Did I mention that they don't require gas or emit noxious fumes into the atmosphere? Or that the juice they require for daily commutes costs less than $20 a month? They're green with a capital "G."

IT Sedan (Dynasty ElectricCar Corp, Vancouver, Canada. www.itiselectric.com ): Shaped like a ladybug, the IT gets the plug-in style prize. The sedan version I drove was a shimmering tangerine beauty with aluminum wheels, four doors and room for four adults (really). That's a feat for a car that weighs in at just 1,400 pounds.

As the only purpose-built plug-in of the bunch (the other two vehicles reviewed below are modified versions of conventional cars), the IT shaves weight wherever it can. The dashboard is a floppy panel, the doors are featherweight fiberglass and the floor is rubberized, not carpeted. The seatbacks are comprised of mesh fabric stretched office-chair fashion over metal frames. Open the tailgate and the rear storage area looks deep enough to be resting on the ground. Indeed, the entire cabin seems sunken; it sits directly atop a low aluminum frame that allows adults (even tall ones) to sit comfortably without their heads touching the roof. Visibility and ergonomics are fantastic for such a diminutive vehicle. The IT is purposefully utilitarian.