Modern electric vehicles have come a long way in the last decade. Advances in battery/controller technology have made the electric cars performance increase in both range, and speed dramatically. With Electric cars often faster than the fastest of gasoline powered models. Ranges of 200-300 miles are becoming more common for higher end EV's.
For the last 50 years the electric vehicle has been a viable alternative to fossil fueled models for commuting, and more local transportation. Typically restricted to approximately 25-60 mile ranges, these EV's are still practical, and affordable transportation that is clean, and very efficient, often costing only a few cents per mile to operate. Even at the turn of the twentieth century the electric car was a useful mode of transportation, and even outnumbered gas powered cars early on.