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Best Electric Cars at the 2017 Frankfurt Auto Show

• By Bill Howard on September 13, 2017 at 11:45 am

The world’s automakers unveiled a torrent of electric vehicles at the Frankfurt Auto Show this week. They see demand growing as range increases and governments talk about end-of-lifeing the combustion engine. Britain and France are talking about no new combustion-engine cars after 2040. China is thinking along those lines, too.

That has VW talking about a market of 3 million EVs a year in 2025 — for Volkswagen alone. Here’s a look at some of the electric vehicles at the every-other-year Frankfurt Auto Show.

The Volkswagen ID Crozz puts electric motors front and rear for a total 225 kW or 302 hp. The 83 kWh battery is in the floor, and is good for 500 km or 310 miles. In the concept, the rear doors slide open. This may be the first of the all-electric VW ID cars to hit the US. VW says the ID Crozz will handle as well as a Golf GTI.

Some are compacts or two-seaters, but others are comfortable for four and luggage. Many of the EVs shown are described as “Tesla-fighters.” Translation: The new norm is 200-250 miles of range and mainstream prices, meaning closer to $35,000, not $75,000. But that also describes the Chevrolet Bolt EV, which shipped before the Tesla Model 3.

EVs have considerable upside, because there’s not much market-share downside. EVs last year represented just one of every 200 cars built.

Several hydrogen fuel cell cars were shown as well, including a version of the Mercedes-Benz GLC compact SUV; it also runs up to 30 miles on battery power in case the local service station isn’t selling hydrogen quite yet.

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