Yesterday Israel debuted a car run entirely on electricity that could revolutionize green transportation in the country and the rest of the world say the vehicle's developers. The project, a collaboration between Renault-Nissan and the organization Project Better Place, was endorsed by the Israeli government in January and if the company schedule stays on track, Israel could be the first country that uses a large number of electric cars.

It is hoped that the prototype will be ready for the market by the end of 2010, though there are still some technical difficulties that must be solved before that happens. However experts are hopeful that the car will help move the industry away from an oil dependency, and reduce emissions as well. A limited battery range of 125 miles is the primary obstacle developers must work improve before the car will be ready for mass sales, and gas-electric hybrids are still viewed as the vehicles that will dominate the green market in the near future.

Rather than a gas gauge, the electric sedan features a screen that shows the amount of battery power left. There is also no exhaust pipe and a plug-in is found in the traditional spot one would find a gas tank on a regular car. The car brags an acceleration of zero to 60 miles per hour in eight seconds. Long car trips will require the batter be swapped at one of the 150 planned swap stations planned for the country, while shorter trips such as inner-city driving will still allow drivers to recharge their batteries from the convenience of home or their office. It is expected the program will run much like that of a cell phone company, with buyers subscribing to monthly service and choosing plans to suit their driving needs.

» MSNBC Environment