We need some major battery breakthroughs (or $10/gal gasoline) before people would accept a car with a max range of 100 miles.
If you have the funds, you can buy a Tesla Roadster with a 200 mile range set for delivery next year.
What's wrong with $10 gas? That's cheaper than the electric alternatives right now.
Say you get a nice 30mpg average car. Over 100,000 miles, that is 3,333 gallons of gas. At $10/gallon, $33,333.
It might cost that much to replace the battery pack at 100,000 miles in a Tesla. And a 30mpg vehicle does not cost $100,000 to begin with. See, gas is cheap at $3, maybe even $10. There's not even that many electrics in Europe, where the population densities and price of petrol make them much easier to accept.
True, you can't burn rubber or impress your friends with 0-60 accel in 4 seconds in a 30mpg sedan, but if we are talking function and economy, that is not the point. Can't take the family out in a Tesla either.
Here is how the math works for Tesla:
A) in order to get a 200 mile range, they needed a BIG battery pack, even in a relatively lightweight and very aerodynamic car.
B) Guess what? - once you have enough power for 200 mile range, you also have enough power (coupled with the torque curve of an electric motor) to have that amazing acceleration burst.
C) So, Tesla engineers decided (smartly) to play on that combination, because 0-60 in four second sports cars sell for >$100,000, so they can make that big battery pack 'affordable', in relative terms.
So, dismissing the acceleration, you still need a pack almost that big for 200 mile range in a family sedan (more weight, more wind resistance to overcome). But who is going to add (roughly) $15,000-$30,000 to the cost of a family sedan, to save a few bucks on gas?
The 'every man' electric vehicle is a ways off yet. But cars like Tesla help to get the early adopters in, pay for the research and improve the technology. There is a lot to like about electric, I hope I get to buy one for environmental AND economic reasons.
-ERD50