My biggest dissuasion against running out and buying an electric car right now (aside from lack of supply, lack of funding and lack of a place to plug it in) stems from a general uncertainty of battery packs. How long will the pack last before it needs replacing? How much is that gonna cost? Do I have to do anything special to it? And so on, like with any new (and probably better) technology. Think of your feelings the first time you saw a CD player after a lifetime of cassette decks. There was probably a little fear and resentment of new technology deep in your chest even though it probably manifested as condescension or apathy. There's just so much to learn and you've already kinda got a system that works. Oh, but it could be so much better if we'd just man up and do it. However that fear is a legitimate concern when dealing with new technologies, just ask the minidisc deck under my bed.
But what if I didn't have to worry about the battery? TreeHugger has a very interesting link about buying the car but leasing the batteries. Sounds like a neat idea that might make people adopt technology they're not quite sure about yet. Course you'd need to incentivize proper use and maintenance to maximize the usefulness of each pack. So don't get excited about gorging through 48 AA batteries like you did on Christmas day when you were twelve.
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