The newest trend in the automobiles market is the electric vehicles so some of the famous automakers like Nissan, Peugeot or General Motors are already developing in this segment. Also brands like Daimler intends to join this area by 2010 with two models: a Smart branded city car and a Mercedes luxury car.

Both models, the electric Smart ForTwo->ke1744 and the Mercedes’s new S400 Hybrid are scheduled for testing in 2009 in the U.S. Mercedes has also been testing a handful of fuel-cell vehicles, including a B-Class prototype, ahead of a planned 2010 launch. Fuel-cell vehicles are technically electric vehicles that store their power in hydrogen or other fuel form instead of batteries.

As for the promised version of the electric Smart it is said to be equipped with a second- generation electric drive system which features lighter and more efficient lithium- ion batteries. The consume will reach only 12kw-hours/100 km. The average cost of running the car is near two and a half cents per mile and it takes only 5.7 seconds to get from 0-60 km/h.