Back in 1994, solectria was the Netscape of the auto industry, a whiz-kid-led company whose light, advanced-composite electric vehicles were challenging Detroit and the reign of the internal-combustion engine. The challenge seemed real, because California's zero-emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate-requiring that 2 percent of all new vehicles sold in the state after Dec. 31, 1997, emit zero pollutants-promised to give the market for clean electric cars a big jump-start.

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