RE: Tesla's Model S will go 300 miles and cost $77,400
The Tesla Model S uses the same chassis as the Astin Martin Rapide, which sells for $199,000. So I can buy the Tesla and use the extra $121,600 to buy enough electricity to drive 3,648,000 miles. Maybe only 2,000,000 miles if I have to replace the batteries a couple times. See, electric cars can be affordable!
And, to be fair, the Tesla is being built as a luxury car. As such, it's price isn't too far out of line with higher end Lexuses, Mercedes and BMWs. pauc1's argument about how much gas he could buy for the price applies just as well to a Lexus LX540.
Seriously, though, electric cars are not about saving money, they're about saving us. The United States uses over 360 MILLION gallons of gasoline EVERY DAY. And other parts of the world are doing their best to catch up to that number. The ecological cost can't even be calculated. Any major disruption in that supply will, I believe, collapse the worlds' economies. Electric cars are part of an answer. Yes, they're expensive now. So well-heeled individuals or those who feel strongly enough about the ecology will buy them now. As the manufacturers make more, the price will come down until the rest of us can afford them. The technology for range and charging will improve over time as well.
For myself, there are maybe two times a year where I couldn't get by with a car with a 300 mile range. And those two times I could rent a car or fly or take a train. And I am lucky enough to be living in a house where I can plug in. People who live in apartments have a harder time of it unless/until the apartment complexes put in charging outlets.
