You know how when you buy a new car you suddenly start noticing all the others like it on the road?

That won’t happen if you buy an electric car — at least for the next several years.

Although the Chevrolet Volt and Nissan Leaf are being rolled out, only 20,000 electric cars are expected to be sold nationwide this year, out of 13 million new cars and SUVs, and they’re unlikely to be offered locally until the end of this year.

A new report from the Center for Automotive Research estimates that even by 2015, only 1,800 electric autos will be sold each year in Missouri, and 1,000 in Kansas.

By comparison, the report says California is expected to have around 34,000 in annual electric-car sales by then, boosted by state tax incentives, a growing network of public charging stations and a proclivity for alternative-fuel vehicles.

Kansas and Missouri have nothing to match California’s $5,000 tax credit for buying electric cars. And there could be some Midwestern conservatism when it comes to adopting a new type of transportation

Read the complete story at kansascity.com