Battery-powered cars

Once seen as staid substitutes for gas-powered cars and trucks, electric vehicles are suddenly the rage, embraced even by drag-racing enthusiasts. In June, carmakers from EV West in San Marcos, California, test their Electraliner—built with a Tesla motor and battery pack—in the Mojave Desert. They’re aiming to break EV land-speed records. A previous version of their EV dragster averaged miles an hour on two tests. VIDEO BY STEPHEN MCGEE