I am afraid that even a 150 or 200 mile $35K car won't seduce many people away from their ICE addiction. The Tesla, as it stands today, is a boutique car....in most cases it's purchased by wealthy people in preference to a BMW, Audi, Land Rover, or other comparably priced high-end car. In fact it's a rich-man's bargain: They get more status driving a $110K Tesla than driving a $200K Ferrari. I fear that the rest of the country will manage to find rationalization to stick with the status-quo unless:
1. Those of us who already drive EV's show them how well the concept works out (I've already gotten one friend into a Volt, working on another...despite the fact that an FFE or Leaf would have met his needs better, he didn't have the guts to risk a pure BEV) (and this will take years), or
2. Gasoline becomes insanely expensive or unobtainable (gas lines) (if this happens, EV's will fly out the door at premium prices like hybrids did at one time)
I've talked to my friends, and it's so easy to find an excuse not to get an EV....the cost and hassle of installing a Level 2 charger is high on the list, together with a fear of high electric bills and being stranded. One woman with a 30 mile round trip daily commute and five (!!) other cars in the family rationalized the FFE was unusable because it lacks a locking glove compartment...how would she deal with valet parking???? But I show my friends the EVSE installation, how it take five seconds to plug in, and that I've traded a $300 gas bill for a $30 electric bill. That (slowly) makes them believers.
