Thanks to the recent revisions of pump prices, my wallet has been feeling a little happier. It's still high though, compared to a decade ago when I was filling up at $1.20/litre (it has been a while…). I can't help but wonder – with talk that electricity tarrifs coming down next year – wouldn't it be nice for the car to get its juice from the wall socket?

We could have, if not for a certain American automotive giant  "pulling the plug" on a promising electric car project (that's GM's EV1, go Google that). Conspiracy theories ensued, as have a brilliant documentary ("Who Killed The Electric Car" is a best-selling DVD).

But do we really want an electric car? Now, I'm not referring to the electric-hybrids like the ones from Toyota and Honda, or even the upcoming Lexus hybrid sports car. I'm talking about pure electric cars, ala golf carts.

Now I don't play golf because the clubs won't fit in my car but I have driven the buggy. It's extremely fun zipping around (without the marshals looking) but can you live with the motor whine on the highway?

The way things goes, mainstream car-makers (including General Motors) are scrambling to put out electric cars designed for city use with the odd independent, millionaire-funded outfits like Tesla and Frisker sticking their necks out to make "high-performance electric sports cars".

I'm all for zipping around town in an electric car if it means lower running costs. For driving thrills up and down the country roads, I'll go for the traditional high-octane option, any day.

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