The eight-wheeled Eliica, electric cars.

Japan's Keio University Prof. Hiroshi Shimizu shows his prototype electric cars, Eliica, left, and KAZ, during a press conference in Tokyo, Japan, Monday, Aug. 24, 2009. Shimizu of Faculty of Environmental Information Graduate School of Media and Governance said he established SIM-Drive Corporation, a venture business at the university, to promote electric cars, hoping to ensure a cleaner environment for the next generation. The eight-wheeled Eliica, or the Electric Lithium-Ion Car, was designed by a team at Keio University, led by Shimizu, as a revamped model of KAZ, or Keio Advanced Zero-Emission Vehicle.

credit photo: AP Photo.