New models of electric cars are coming fast and furious, but who will be the first to commercialize a road-ready EV that is worthy of the mass market?

There's the Th!nk, a company that has been reborn in Norway and could bring cars to the U.S. as early as next year according to Wired News' Autopia. Mitsubishi showed a concept car that includes solar panels and mini wind turbine, but that's just for show.

Companies ZAP and ZENN have promised to upgrade their models from their revved up golf carts (like this one being sold in Queens) that aren't helping the cause, to vehicles that can maintain highway speeds and last more than 100 miles on a charge.

Phoenix Motorcars has the most promising technology, although if GM with the Volt or one of the other companies building plug-in hybrids is successful, they could transfer the tech to all-electrics, or conversely could supersede the need for EVs. For instance, wouldn't a $25,000 mostly-EV better than a $50,000 car without a gas tank?

Speaking of EVs, Time magazine surprised some folks by naming the EV1 one of its worst 50 autos of all time.

Another random thought - people in Southern California are in a Catch-22 situation with EVs. While their air quality is terrible, the power grid remains shaky, so any load from EVs/PHEVs will only make matters worse.