All the current electric cars have major problems that are too large for general acceptance.
To gain acceptance they need to match or exceed gasoline powered vehicles and not cost more. So far they haven't come close. If they don't do that, they will never be more then a oddity.
Here is the short list of why the current electrics (and hybrids) will never be more then niche vehicles.
All Electrics and Hybrids: Aging and worn out batteries. When the batteries are worn out the value of the car will be next to nothing. It will be a lousy old car, and useless to lower income and people who only buy older used cars.
I think most will end up in the junkyard far faster then a gasoline powered car. Hardly "green" in anybodies book. Today's gasoline powered cars can last up to about 15 years. Electrics batteries will likely last about 8-10 years.
There is a reason why people don't put large amounts into older cars, and its because the value of the car is too low to justify it. This will put many electrics in the junkyard earlier then gas cars because the replacement of the batteries will be far too high.
Chevy Volt: It actually has "decent" solutions for many of the electrics shortcoming. Unfortunately those "solutions" make it cost $40,000. Who in their right mind is going to spend $40,000 for what is essentially an $14,000 economy car. That's right nobody!
Nissan Leaf: It actually is a pure electric, unlike the Volt which has a "backup" gasoline engine. Pricing is far better then the Volt coming in only $5000-$7000 too high. Unfortunately the range is too limited (even shorter in colder climates) and "refueling" takes too long. It takes, what, maybe five minutes to refuel a gasoline car, so the faster 3 to 4 hour recharge time is still far too long. Until the batteries can be recharged in under 5 minutes the range is going to have to be far higher then the range of a gasoline powered car. So far the range of most electrics is still lower then one tank of gas.
The electric "Smart" Car: The name of this one makes me laugh ever time I hear it. If you are smart, you wouldn't touch this car with a ten foot pole. Its a two seater which makes its appeal next to nothing to begin with. The transmission, which they must have brought over from the equally lousy gas powered Smart Car makes the car incredibly slow. In fact so slow, I would never take it on an interstate (in fact they should be banned from interstates). In crashes, it small size endangers the passengers. Again, with most of the electrics it's too expensive for what it is. Frankly this vehicle would even be lousy as a golf cart (where would you put the clubs?).
Tesla (various models): OK, these cars were never intended to be more then a niche vehicle. They intend on competing with other niche cars like Ferrari's, Lamborghini, Porsche's, Corvettes and the like. They are expensive (most over $100,000) but at least you are going to get a car that seems to be worth the money. This is how most new technologies enter the auto market, from the expensive down. Tesla's generally have the best range of the pure electrics, have the best of today's recharging equipment and have near the performance of its competitors. Plus they do look awesome, and wealthy buyers will be interested in them. This car maker seems to understand today's market for electrics more then anybody else. But before you celebrate the actions of the free market, one of the biggest "investors" in Tesla is, you guessed it, the federal government. Taxpayers are once again subsidizing cars for the wealthy, at the tune of nearly 500 million. This company cannot fail because we are all "invested" in it, even if you have never heard of it before or ever seen one of their cars on the road. Hopefully they can raise their own money someday. But I am not holding my breath on that one.
Toyota Prius & Honda Insight: These hybrids are the only cars with much of a track record. Actually they have done far better then I ever thought they would. Some of these cars are close to the 8-9 year mark, so we will see how they do in the "older" used car market. If the batteries fail in large amounts in the next few years, there will be few 10 year old Prius' because few of these buyers will be willing to spend $8000 to repair a 10 year old car. Could hybrids be the answer? Not really because Prius' lose Toyota money on each one sold. That means that profits from other gas powered cars like the Camry and Highlander are keeping this car in the showroom.
Electrics or even hybrids are no where near close to taking more then a minor percentage from gas powered cars. Until the battery technology improves by a lot and becomes far cheaper electrics will be in the state they are in.
To those who think cars should be more expensive to accommodate the electric car, that doesn't work either. Frankly, today's cars are too expensive for most people. People have far too much debt into cars that will be next to worthless in less than a decade.
They are for wealthy car enthusiasts and for rich liberals who feel guilty for something. However all taxpayers are paying for something that only the users of these vehicles should be paying for. That is the biggest problem I have with them.
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