So, why aren't "we" buying more electric cars?

[Spike89]

79. Not enough benefit at this point

The idea of a "green" car is so obviously appealing, but even that isn't as obvious as many people assume. There are still (and probably always will be) huge environmental issues with both production and disposal of batteries. When you add the environmental cost of electricity (most is coal generated), the current "greenness" of most hybrids and plug-ins becomes something of a mystery. We still don't know how long the batteries will really last in real world scenarios.

With some gas-only cars getting 40+ and even 50 mpg with no toxic battery technology and a life-span of 200,000 miles or more, the extra costs of an e-car are not likely to ever be recouped by the original buyer, and if they understand that their environmental "savings" might be marginal at best, it doesn't surprise me that most people are still buying the more versatile internal combustion vehicles.

The equation will eventually tilt toward e-cars, but it really isn't a "no-brainer" at this time.