New York Times - Autoss

Electric vehicle sales have soared in Europe and much of the rest of the world, but Americans are still hesitant.High fuel prices are weighing on sales of vehicles that run on gasoline or diesel.

Ford Motor has written off $20 billion in electric vehicle investments but says it is forging ahead with an electric pickup that will sell for $30,000 next year.Recharging a Mustang Mach-E, Ford’s only electric vehicle right now.

The charging network is spotty, but it’s a small country.Costa Rica requires utilities to install fast-charging stations every 50 miles on national highways. But many chargers don’t work.

People in Costa Rica and other Latin American, Asian and African countries are increasingly buying electric vehicles to avoid spiking fuel prices.Kattia Cambronero, a lawmaker in the Legislative Assembly, says electric cars can provide energy security to Costa Rica.

The very first E.V. was born in the 1830s. By the 1900s, electric carriages were dodging horse droppings in Manhattan streets.Electric battery-powered cars outside the Old Metropolitan Opera House on 39th Street in Manhattan in 1898. The vehicles served as early taxis in New York City.