Research into contemporary electric vehicles is hardly a new effort; in 1969, GM and Boeing developed an electric vehicle with four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, a rudimentary navigation system, airless tires and a theoretical range of 57 miles under the worst conditions imaginable. Though the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) had a published top speed of just 8 MPH, utilized non-rechargeable silver-zinc potassium hydroxide batteries, and carried a price tag of $38 million, it gave mankind its first motorized journey on another world, and contributed automotive designs that are only now being put into production by manufacturers.

Read about the space wayfarer on Hemmings.