Operating a car without needing to visit a gas station is intriguing idea to many American drivers. After all, the pumps can be a painful place—gas prices have been on a roller coaster ride the past few years. But in the minds of many American, electric cars are nothing more than glorified golf cars incapable of providing adequate daily driving range or sufficient highway speed. In this new era of electrified transportation, those misconceptions need to be tossed aside.

Todays’ electric vehicles, like the Nissan Leaf, provide all the creature comforts and capabilities of gasoline internal combustion cars. These EVs comfortably seat four or five passengers, offer quasi-luxury features, and serve up smooth, silent and sporty levels of acceleration. But there are a couple of important issues to consider—such as driving range and refueling times.