I wonder who will be the first Japanese to add a huge wing and lots of ground effects... lol

I think I will keep it old school.

Oh, yes, because electricity is made by only safe and non-polluting methods....

But it does put the pollution emissions at one point instead of thousands which makes the pollution easier to capture and mitigate.

Well, I don't want to argue with a lawyer, but really the electric vehicle is practical for only a small set of commuters. It would be practical for me since I live only 4 miles from work, but the price premium at this point still makes am internal combustion engine powered vehicle more cost effective.

I don't pretend to know a hell of a lot ABOUT(there's that word again )electric vans BUT! How do they handle winter weather?

I absolutely agree with vanner68. Electric vehicles currently make the most sense for people who only drive in town (typically less than 35 miles per day) and it is still cheaper to just buy an ICE powered vehicle. However, the parts have long been on the market to convert an ICE powered vehicle to full DC power for under $10,000, including the cost of batteries. Further, electric vehicles really do just shift the pollution point form the automobile tailpipe to the power plant tailpipe. If the main energy source is solar or hydro-electric, or geothermal, this isn;t a big deal. But if you live in an area where you get your power from coal or gas-fired power plants, then this is really just a lateral shift of emissions. However, one big advantage is that the emissions would be centralized to one large stationary emissions point, rather than thousands of mobile ones. This would make it easier to capture and ameliorate the emissions.

In my view, the best electric vehicle would be a hybrid in the following configuration: vehicle powered by lead acid or, better still, nickel iron batteries, then a trailer with another battery pack and a small one or two cylinder turbo diesel motor to run a generator. Drive it without the trailer in town, hook up the trailer for longer distances. If I had the money and time I would build such a combination.