a robot battery swapper for electric cars. on driving.

http://www.newscientist.com/blogs/shortsharpscience/2009/05/robotic-battery-swappers---the.html

"The time taken by the proof-of-concept in the video compares favourably with the time spent filling a car with petrol and paying for it afterwards.

...

Better Place thinks that the battery problem can be alleviated by setting up a system of battery-swapping stations, where you can rapidly swap your depleted energy store for a full one."

D: auto manufacturers have tentatively agreed on a battery standard.

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http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/are_electric_ve.php

However, it seems one critical piece of the electric car puzzle has been notably absent - how do you fill 'er up? Sure, if you live in an area where you can recharge through an outlet in your garage, things look good. However, for the rest of us, electric cars are impractical without some sort of infrastructure to get electricity from the grid into our batteries. Luckily, charging stations may be on the horizon. Yesterday, Project Better Place announced plans to provide a system of charging and battery exchange stations throughout the world.
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D: as much as I like the idea of cleaner and more efficient cars, there is a problem.
These merely tactical tweaks to the standard car model ignore strategic concerns.
Such as our obsession with suburbs, long commutes, box-shaped cars, and 1-2 people in a 4-5 person vehicle for long commutes.
The present dystopia is reinforced by well-intentioned or simply thoughtless government zoning bylaws and a reflexive road-lane-building response to traffic problems.

BTW, I just purchased my first car. It is a Honda CX Civic hatchback, a 1998 model.
I use a driving method best thought of as 'hypermiling lite'.
I found it amazing how much driving a steady TEN kph above the highway speed limit can drive most drivers bonkers. Slower than that, and I suppose I qualify as a traffic hazard, with so many people passing me.
But faster than that, and at 15kph over the speed limit, I can receive demerit points on my licence. Not worth it!
Having cycled my whole life, I exhibit a certain paranoia of other drivers.
I also use gas efficiently. I accelerate slowly. I don't mind slowing down a bit uphill, harvesting the downhill energy for the next hill.
I take my foot off the gas pedal as soon as I see an obstacle ahead.
I begin to gradually brake when I see a red, to avoid coming to a complete stop.
My braking at stop lights would not spill a held coffee cup, nor cause motion sickness.

Rant: my step-father (now thankfully "ex-") drove like a madman.
He'd gun the gun right out of a green light, only to haul on the brakes at the next red.
He never got to his destination any faster, but caused much more fuel consumption and vehicle wear 'n tear than my hypermiling does.
Of course, he was an idiot.

When folks pass me, I usually catch up to them at the next red light anyway.
It seems so pointless to speed above 10kph.

Furthermore, Ontario has a new "drag racing" law.
If over 50kph over the speed limit, the police will confiscate your car.
On the highway up north, one can blunder from a 80-90kph highway to a 50-60kph village or hamlet in the blink of an eye.
Add that extra 10-20kph over the speed limit and BAM! there goes your car.

Furthermore, the kinetic energy of velocity increases as the SQUARE power of speed.
That means your car goes from a fender bender to a major repair in c. 10kph, and then to a write-off in 20kph.
It also dramatically increases the lethality of impacts - particularly for pedestrians.
About HALF of all people injured in vehicle impacts were not in vehicles.
This is particularly harmful to the child demographic.

Think about that the next time you accelerate to 20-30kph over the speed limit...