Electric cars Frankfurt Motor Show 2011

Electric cars Frankfurt Motor Show 2011

The world's greenest ever car show is happening right now in Frankfurt, Germany - and we've been over there to check out the best new vehicles.

But you can forget the usual parade of crazy concepts and wild supercars, because the spotlight this year is on the latest breed of electric cars to hit the stands.

Most manufacturers, with the exception of the die-hard supercar brands and those too skint to build new cars, have at least one electric vehicle on display.

Some are full-on electric motors that are about as harmful to the environment as a celery and a carrot salad, while others use a combination of electric with petrol or diesel engines for low-speed cleanliness and long-distance usability.

The message all these cars send to us is that electric is most certainly the fuel of the future. Some of them might be concepts for now, others close to production, but each of them represents a significant step in the future of the motor car.