I love the idea of the electric and they are faster off the line, and maybe if I ever do buy a car there will be a viable alternative in terms of range and quick fill ups - but I don't see those yet.
This is getting pretty far off topic, but just wanted to note that if you're going for practical transport and modest (not bad, just not at all exciting) performance and want an electric, the Volt is already totally there.
It's a bit pricey (though models coming off the 3-year lease now are quite reasonable), but what makes the Volt nice is that if you're driving less than ~40 miles per day, it's an electric car. Plug it in when you get home, it's ready to go another 40 all-electric miles tomorrow. If you rarely travel long distances in your car, you could probably drive the thing all-electric, all the time.
If/when you
do need to drive farther, or make two trips in a day, or whatever, suddenly it becomes a regular gasoline hybrid. Not incredibly efficient, but ~37-40mpg range.
It's not the right vehicle if you need to carry 5+ people or a bunch of luggage. It's not the right car if you crave 0-60 times under 9 seconds or brutal cornering performance. It's not the right vehicle if you want to be able to drive cross-country all-electric.
But as a general-purpose 4-door sedan with a hatchback, particularly for people with a <20 mile commute or who mostly do local driving, it's a great compromise.
Paying the equivalent of $1 per gallon for gas in a car that gets 40mpg is sure nice, too.
