It appears as if all the talk of the Chinese having developed advanced batteries for electric cars might have been a bit premature. At the Shanghai Auto Show some experts were underwhelmed.

“From what we have seen so far the technology is not that advanced in terms of battery life, range, and recharging,” said Nick Reilly, the head of General Motors in the Asia-Pacific region. “If you look at the detail, they tend to not to perform as well on these measures. But they have a good price and we know the Chinese government is investing a lot of money.”

Dr Peter Pleus, the head of the engine systems division of Shaeffler, an automotive parts supplier, said: “I am trying to find someone who can explain to me why these batteries are so advanced, but so far no one can do so.”

The electric car is the dream of the ‘green” movement and by extension of the Obama administration. There is a danger that their fervor runs too far ahead of the technological realities and they force a sub par product into production and subsidize its purchase. Their is a real risk there that putting a lemon into the market in significant numbers could set back consumer acceptance for a generation.

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