The Electric Car : Development and Future of Battery, Hybrid and Fuel-Cell Cars

This book covers the development of electric cars from their early days to pure electric, fuel-cell and new hybrid models in production. It covers the latest technological issues faced by automotive engineers working on electric cars, including charging, infrastructure, safety and costs, as well as making predictions about future developments and vehicle numbers. Considerable work has gone into electric car and battery development in the last ten years, with the prospect of substantial improvements in range and performance in battery cars as well as in hybrids and those using fuel cells. The book comprehensively covers this important subject and will be of particular interest to engineers working on electric vehicle design, development and use, as well as managers interested in the key business factors vital for the successful transfer of electric cars into the mass market.

Mike Westbrook was manager of technological research with Ford Motor Company at Dunton, Essex, and has now retired after 33 years in the automotive industry. He has also been Visiting Professor at Southampton University, Chairman of the IEE Computing and Control Division (1983-4), Vice-President of the Institute of Physics (1992-6) and IEE Faraday Lecturer (1987-8). He has been author or co-author of 29 technical papers and a book Automotive Sensors (IOP 1994), as well as lecturing extensively in the UK and USA.