JUDGING by the slew of electric and hybrid vehicles being rolled out at the Frankfurt Motor Show, it might seem carmakers are tapping a large and eager market.
But in fact almost no one buys such cars - yet.
Every major carmaker is coming out with electric versions of existing vehicles - such as Volkswagen's all-electric versions of its up! city car and Golf compact.
And they are also showcasing models they have designed as electrics from the ground up, like small BMW's electric i3 city car.
Analyst Christoph Stuermer at IHS automotive called Frankfurt "the first full-throttle electric propulsion show" that's about "getting electric drive cars out of the eco-nerd, tree-hugger segment and into the cool group".
To whet appetites, carmakers are making high-performance, luxury versions that give up little or nothing in performance to conventional models. BMW's i8 goes 0-100 kph in a speedy 4.5 seconds.
Audi's Quattro sport concept - meaning it's for demonstration, not for sale - is an aggressive looking sports car with large air intakes flanking the grille and a whopping 700 horsepower from its hybrid drive. The company says it can reach 305 kph.
The Mercedes S-Class plug-in hybrid version, meanwhile, has a powerful six-cylinder internal combustion engine plus an all-electric range of about 30 kilometres.
This way, owners could commute all-electric during the week, recharging overnight but use the petrol engine on a family vacation.
The company says mileage is 3.0 litres per 100 kilometres.
All this, to cater to a market that doesn't really exist in mass terms. Only 0.2 per cent of all cars registered in Europe are hybrids, which combine batteries with internal combustion engines, or electrics, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association.
In the United States, the Toyota Prius hybrid has broken into the top 10 selling passenger cars. However, electric vehicles have struggled to increase sales numbers because of high prices and so-called range anxiety: buyers' fear of running out of power.
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