Southland

Who Will Buy an Electric Car?: The market for electric vehicles will be the hotly contested topic at a public hearing to be held by the California Air Resources Board on Wednesday in El Monte. A central issue in the debate over the state’s 1998 deadline for introducing the first mass-market electric cars in California is whether there will be customers for them. The big auto makers say buyers will be limited because today’s batteries don’t allow for performance and price comparable to that of a gasoline-powered vehicle. Smaller electric car manufacturers and other proponents say acceptable electric cars can be made at reasonable prices with current technology. The hearing will be held from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 9530 Telstar Ave., ARB Annex 4. For more information, call (916) 322-2990.