CAR manufacturers racing to offer the first commercially viable electric vehicles to cash in on environmental concerns displayed a slew of models at the Paris Motor Show which opened to the public yesterday.

But uncertainties linger over the batteries needed to power them: technology needs to develop to meet cost and weight requirements, and infrastructure is lacking to recharge them.

Some of the models on show in Paris are still prototypes - such as Renault SA's Z.E. Concept - while others such as Daimler AG's all-electric Smart ED have entered the test phase.

Most of them won't be commercially available for several years - and even then car manufacturers say they will struggle to meet demand.

'The investments needed for electric cars are colossal,' Renault CEO Carlos Ghosn said at the start of the show, which runs for two weeks.

'The question is not whether demand will be sufficient. It is whether supply will be able to follow the demand that is already out there,' he said.

Analysts say recent developments in lithium-ion cell battery technology - which Daimler, Renault, General Motors and Chrysler plan to use - are promising.

Demand is being led by environmental concerns and by legislation, with new European Union rules being shaped to limit carbon dioxide emissions.

General Motors plans to be one of the first to take a product to market with the rechargeable electric Chevrolet Volt, displayed in Paris against a backdrop of silver trees, which it says will go on sale in late 2010.

GM hasn't decided yet which battery maker to use but is targeting an autonomy of 60 kilometers and three hours to recharge.

'General Motors is betting an awful lot on the Volt, and I think it's more than just an image issue, so we are all very interested in that,' said Finbarr O'Neill, head of international operations for J.D. Power & Associates.






Chrysler last week unveiled three electric-powered models - a sports car, a four-door Jeep and a minivan - and promised to put one of them on sale in the United States sometime in 2010.

BMW Group is working on an electric Mini, but CEO Norbert Reithofer said he's not convinced of a breakthrough.

'There's a lot of hype about the electric car - the numbers of electric cars available in 2020 will not be above 5 or 10 percent of the total,' he said.

French power provider Electricite de France SA offered a glimpse of the future with its 'smart' charging terminal, currently being tested on Toyota's Prius cars in Britain.

The technology is designed to recognize the car, allowing drivers to be invoiced directly no matter where they charge their vehicles.

Car makers sought to underscore their green achievements currently possible, with even Ferrari announcing it has cut emissions in its newest fast car, the California.

Honda unveiled the new five-door Insight gasoline-electric hatchback to challenge rival Toyota's significant success with the hybrid Prius.