Charles Morgan, one of the few people in the world who has put his name to a car company and is still alive, spoke recently to the Daily Telegraph about Morgan Cars’ forays into the electric car market.

Morgan talked about how his sports car firm has teamed up with electric battery supremos Zytek in the development of an all-electric prototype. The Managing Director was very positive about the new car, saying that despite being based on all-electric technology, it looked just like "an ordinary Morgan".

He said the two firms have some way to go before they could present a marketable electric vehicle to the car buying public. Battery technology, he said, was still too expensive, while the practical problem of charging electric cars remained big; there are simply not enough charge points in the UK, or indeed elsewhere in the world.

However, Morgan finished on a positive note, telling us that his firm was working towards halving the weight of the electric Morgan, meaning a less powerful engine would be required.

So, while the boffins at Morgan Motor Cars and Zytek are beavering away to find solutions to these lingering electric car problems, the most likely reason for an electric car owner calling upon his or her vehicle roadside assistance provider appears to be a dead battery. Some things never change.