The simple, conclusive answer is no. Not anytime soon, at least. While charging stations are becoming increasingly common, it still takes hours to top up an electric car — and that’s too inconvenient for mass consumption. We’re not just editorializing, either: battery-powered cars make up a mere 1 per cent of automotive sales. The internal-combustion engine, meanwhile, is consistently improving — Mazda, for example, released an engine that improved fuel efficiency by 25