Darryl Siry, Vice President of Tesla Motors Inc. showed off the new Tesla Roadster.

"This car goes zero to 60 in under four seconds," Siry said. "This is a high-end electric car. Most people are surprised by that. They think that electric cars are like golf carts. Something you might notice is there's no tailpipe. While we've got this rear defuser here, there is no tailpipe because there is no exhaust."

There is no exhaust because there is no gas. Most hybrids currently run on both a gasoline and electric engine. Full electric cars run on 100 percent battery power.

Electric cars have been on the scene since the 1880s. The first cars carried the upper-class. Women liked them because of how quiet and easy they were to drive. Throughout the 20th century, electric cars popped up here and there, but were mostly considered novelties.

General Motors made a serious effort to popularize the electric car with the EV1 in 1996. However, the life-span of the vehicle was short.

Now, electric cars are coming back, and Tesla is just one of the many companies jumping on board. Electric cars run a lot differently than regular cars. They are much simpler when it comes to the nuts and bolts.

Siry said the cars weigh 2,700 pounds, but 900 of that is the battery. That means the car itself weighs less than 2,000 pounds, making it lighter and less complicated.

A typical four-cylinder gas engine has more than 100 moving parts. The motor of a Tesla has just one - the rotor. A gasoline-powered car also needs parts like filters, coolant, clutches, spark plugs and a muffler. None of those can be found in an electric car.

The car currently costs $98,000. However, the overall savings of zero service fees also add up.

"The total cost from an electric standpoint is about two cents a mile, and if you want to compare that to a gas cents per mile, you're probably talking about 20-30 cents a mile," Siry said.

Other companies are coming out with cars more suitable for the family.

Tom Holm owns Ecotrek, a company that devotes itself to making eco-friendly automobiles.

"We're not doing this for the money," he said. "We're doing this to get the word out that there is amazing technology available to everyone that drives."

Holm works with another car company on a new electric car that will be available in 2008. This car will cost about half the price of a Tesla.

"We're trying to make a very efficient electric car that is electrically charged and also something people can afford," Holm said. "I don't think the electric car was ever killed. I think it did just go into hibernation, and now it's re-emerged as something much bigger and better."