[Christ]

The problem with the expectation of a 200 mile range and so on, so forth, is that it's simply not necessary for most people.

I live in the country, and I don't normally drive even 50 miles at a time. The longer trips, granted, can be over 200 miles at times, or even more.

The largest percentage of people could benefit from using a mild EV that DOESN'T cost 30k. In fact, the average suburbanite could do a large percentage of their commuting in a golf cart. A Golf Cart.

The problem isn't with the cars, it lies in the perception of the people who are considering them.

PS - I put close to 15,000 miles on Cara (will have by next month, it's 1 year anniversary with me). And the largest percentage of that was long trips, based on mileage. However, the shorter trips made up the bulk of start/drive/stop cycles, and I could have saved plenty of fuel if I'd been legally able to operate one of the Golf Carts up the road to make those trips.

I mean, a 15-20 minute trip to Wal-Mart, and it's 11-14 miles away, depending which direction I go, even having a 50 mile range would be sufficient, and using a separate smaller pack to provide heat during the winter months for the return trip from the store.

I'm not the type of person who buys a new anything, so I can't comment on the 30k EV thing, but it will eventually become much less a matter of creature comforts, and much more a matter of whether or not you can afford to drive your gasser over the EV you had the chance to buy, for many Americans.

Personally, my first, and possibly my only EV, will probably end up being a Golf Cart, converted to road use, if I can find one. I've weighed the benefits and drawbacks of converting other things, and after costs associated, I'm still better off using something purpose built in my situation.

Regarding cost of batteries and operation, etc... nothing's perfect when it's first introduced, and the first users often subsidize further users' purchases. That's how it's always been.