While electric vehicles are thought to be the answer to a future of green, clean mobility, questions have been raised about the sustainability of the batteries that power them. Could blockchain hold the key?

Electric cars need to be charged which can take hours without specialist high-powered charging stations. But the need to charge at all might become a thing of the past if smart roadways can deliver power on the move.

The idea is as clever as it is simple: Ubitricity's EV charging system allows cars to plug into the power source offered by city lampposts. In London, the scheme is already underway, with streetlights around the city transforming into charging points. Could the system be coming to a city near you? Time to take a closer look.

Electric cars that aren't currently on the move could be used to help stabilise energy grids, make electricity from renewable energy sources more viable and generate extra income for EV owners. That's the goal of the Munich-based company The Mobility House and their smart Vehicle-to-Grid technology.

E-mobility meets sharing. Share & Charge is a new platform that has a fresh idea for how to tackle the problem of insufficient of charging points for electric cars - by connecting EV drivers with people and their private charging stations at home.

The French startup EP Tender has developed a range extender that will help electric vehicles tackle long distances with ease. The range-extending generator comes in the form of a trailer, available via an on-demand rental system, which users simply snap onto the back of their cars for those extra kilometres, convenience and peace of mind.

The future looks bright for e-mobility. But electric vehicles aren't the only alternative to traditional combustion engines. What are the other options? And how do they shape up? We talked it over with Michael Müller-Görnert from VCD, Germany's leading ecological transport association.

Electromobility is catching on, but progress is slow - many potential new users are still put off by the charging process, and afraid of getting stuck in the middle of nowhere with an empty battery. The PlugSurfing app wants to simplify things: declaring war on the confusing jungle of charging stations, energy providers and billing systems.

Calling itself "the future of wireless power", Blue Inductive has made a bold statement. But maybe there's something in it. The German startup, based in Freiburg, has developed a technology that allows electric cars to be charged not just quickly but completely cable-free.