WASHINGTON D.C., DC — This year’s Washington Auto Show showcased electric vehicles so modern-looking, they seem far in the future -- but they're ready to hit the road now.
Car makers say electric vehicles are a better choice for your morning commute and they’re going to save the environment.
From zero to 60 in 6-and-a-half seconds, Arcimoto's utility vehicles are fully electric, petite, and the interior is open to air. But "they're fit for any road, any street in the United States, completely highway legal," a company representative said.
Arcimoto is an Oregon-based American EV manufacturer. Cheaper than a traditional car, at $17,000, the company says these are the electric vehicles that should be taking you to work.
"It has one fourth the footprint of a standard SUV," said chief business officer Dilip Sundaram, "And if you can imagine 65 percent of all Americans' commutes are within a seven-mile radius, and 85 percent of them are just one person, this is the right size for all of our commutes."
Also on display, a fully electric battery-powered Metro Bus. DC has pledged to make its entire fleet of 1500 buses zero emission by 2045.
"Most manufacturers have made a proclamation that they’ll shift to electric within the next 10 to15 years so we’re warming up consumers," Kimatni Rawlins, founder of Art in Motion, said. "And one of the things is understanding the infrastructure, so instead of fueling up now when I go home, I have to plug up, so we have to change the mindset."
Kimatni Rawlins selected local artists to paint electric and hybrid cars at the Auto Show. Their art all focused on the theme of nature.
"The automobile industry is one of the biggest in terms of affecting global warming, so they know they have to make the shift rather quickly and in a precise manner," Rawlins said.