Preparing for the electric car: Widespread use would reduce oil consumption, pollution, and the average cost of generation. But mass production is a prerequisite

Believe it or not, long before gasoline became an inexpensive and abundant commodity, there was an electric car. Recently, with constant uncertainties about the availability and cost of oil, interest in the electric car has been resparked. Detroit Edison, which conducted research on electric cars for many years, purchased its first modern electric in 1977, a converted American Motors Pacer Wagon to be used daily on a 15-mile mail delivery route in downtown Detroit. In 1979, two additional electric cars, a small van and a converted Dodge Omni, were added to the fleet.