Which Electric Car is Best?

I've test driven a bunch of them. Here are the results.

Electric cars and modular homes are the two applications in my mind that could make the green consumer market finally explode.

Why? They're the only two that really drive lust and envy: consumers will buy them to impress their friends. (See Top Seven Marketing Tips From the Middle Ages by Boccaccio). Solar panels are fun for about 15 minutes, but once you've seen the meter go backward a couple of times the thrill wears off. Household wind turbines? Your neighbors will come over to see them, and then warn you about their pending lawsuit.

I tried the organic hand cleaner. It's not nearly as addictive as Purell.
So with that in mind, here's the roundup of electric cars I've driven and a quick review. (The General Motors Volt isn't on here because I've never driven one, only sat in it.) They are in order from best to worst.

1. Tesla Roadster: By far the best of the bunch. Quick acceleration, good handling, lots of style. Strangers stare admirably when you drive by. The Tesla Motors dealership in Menlo Park, Calif. is one of the few in the world that seems to get tourists off the street. It can beat almost any car on the road. (See video.) The downside: I am the cheapest person in North America. I'd probably sell one of my kidneys for cash before I'd purchase a $109,000 car.

2. TIE: Nissan Leaf and Ford Focus. The all-electric economy cars coming from these two big manufacturers feel and drive…well…like economy cars. They accelerate moderately, fit five adults, and look like something you just picked up at the Hertz counter at the airport. But that's the good news: Nissan and Ford can produce electric cars that feel like regular cars but don't come with an outrageous price tag. Nissan's is expected to sell for close to $30,000 before federal and state incentives. Another big plus: these cars are also silent. The only noise is a low hum from the motor and the squeal of the tires.

The envy factor won't be off the charts, but strangers will still want to know all about it.

4. The Aptera 2e: Technically, they didn't let me drive it (see Aptera 2e Hits the Streets of San Francisco and the video: The Aptera Hits the Streets). I rode in the passenger seat. But it seemed to handle and accelerate well. Highlights: you're only about two feet off the ground so even motorcycles are higher. It sort of feels like riding a recumbent bike.
The fact that it has three wheels seems freakish, but you get over it quick. It draws spectators. When we pulled up to a driveway, about ten people stopped to shoot photos. I wish I had worn the silver skin suit to work.
Downside: I like the nostalgic futuristic tone of Aptera's design, but you could potentially see it getting outdated quickly. In a certain light, it looks like something that fell off a carnival ride. Another ding: It's pretty easy to bonk your head on the gull wing doors getting in and out the car. Most buyers will likely live in terror that these doors will stick, break or get sheared off by a moving van.

5. The Persu Hybrid: Formerly known as the VentureOne. Persu's hybrid is a three-wheeled car developed originally in the Netherlands that tilts like a motorcycle. Two people can ride in it, but in a row, sort of like a bobsled, which limits conversation. It's small, so you could park it almost anywhere, and because of which it fits into a lot of different parking spots.

The tilt and park-ability factor would give it a slight advantage over the Nissan and Aptera, but there are a few major caveats. First, back in 2007, the company the first cars would hit the U.S. in 2009. Now, it says it will announce a release date when it is confident. Second, it has gone from promising a full electric to a just a hybrid. So who knows if it will every come out.

6. Zero Motorcycles: "It is a bit jumpy. The acceleration is quick," Zero Motorcycles founder Neal Saiki told me. Moments later, I narrowly missed him and almost careened into a dumpster. But once I got used to it, it was great. Motorcycles could become one of the quick growth markets for electric vehicles: They're cheaper than cars and the crash-testing requirements are almost nonexistent :the Department of Transportation figures you're on your own.

The company has been selling a dirtbike for a while and has started selling a street version with a 60-mile range. Downside: The price of lithium-ion batteries affects cycle prices too, so expect to plunk down $10,000 or more for electric bikes for the near future.

7. The X-1 from Wrightspeed: Ian Wright has produced one of the fastest cars on the road with the Wrightspeed X1. It handles great too. He dodged around a couple of guys unloading pallets of appliances on one of our test rides. The Wrightspeed, though, is in beta, so it's tough to rate higher. When it comes to market, the ranking will likely move up.

8. The Zappy 3 EZ: This is a plank with three wheels, a handlebar and an electric motor. In other words, a motorized version of my daughter's Hello Kitty scooter. While I am not a fan of Zap's electric cars, this thing was a blast. I wanted to set up a jump in the driveway. It tops out at around 15 miles per hour but a company employee said he cranked one up close to 30 mph on a downhill.

9. Proterra's EcoRide: It's a city bus. It goes about 10 miles an hour. But Proterra's EcoRide bus is silent and there's plenty of room to place "TAKE ONE FREE" placards for the University of Phoenix. Bus systems and municipal fleets will be some of the first big buyers of electric cars because they don't worry about long driving ranges or an inability to find a charging station. They will own their own stations. The buses right now are expensive but if the price comes down expect to see them in lots of cities.

10. The A2B from Ultramotor: To date, electric bikes have been popular mostly in China. In the U.S., they are probably still less popular than unicycles or cars shaped like giant hot dogs.

The A2B is a definite positive step forward. It weighs 70 pounds, but you can get uphill pretty easy by pedaling and hitting the electric engine. My wife loved it. We tried to put my mother-in-law on it but she toppled over, so it's not for everyone. There are big disadvantages too. it costs $2,700, or more than even a really good road bike, and it is not very attractive. One person thought it came from a medical supply store.

11. The Tango from Commuter Cars: Another toboggan-style two seater. The car even has a built-in roll cage. It's extremely fast and drives well. The downside: It costs over $100,000 and looks like a shoebox. see Test Driving the All-Electric Mini Car). If you want to impress your neighbors, assuage a midlife crisis or even meet women hanging out in front of a convenience store, the Tesla Roadster is a better value.

12. Masdar's People Mover. The Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi and To Get There, a Dutch Company, will install a series of robotic, self-piloting electric cars in Masdar City, a net zero industrial/housing development, later this year. The final cars will be able to hit a top speed of 25 miles an hour but the prototype only goes about five meters a second. Consumers won't buy the car: they will exist as a form of on-demand transportation. Another bonus: they look like the cars from Woody Allen's Sleeper.

While I like the concept and the car, you can't help but think it just might be easier to walk.

12. The Miles EV: Miles currently specializes in low-speed for military bases, retirement communities and college campuses (see CNET). But it actually drove quite well. We managed to crank it up some steep hills and even got the wheels to squeal once. If you're 75 and living at Rossmoor Villas, it's the car for you. Coda Automotive, which spun out of Miles, has a freeway legal car coming later this year.

13. GM's Hydrogen Equinox and Mercedes A Class Hydrogen: Actually, these two were the smoothest driving, quietest of all the cars on the list. Too bad about the $1 million price tags.