Jeremy tried to love the car. The car is not so loveable. Yes, its very fast in a straight line. Other then that its complete garbage. What other use does it serve? It handles horribly, can carry only 2 small people and no cargo really. Plus, you must wait after for 16 hours for a recharge. Has anyone else asked what happends when you crash your electric substation on wheels? It sounds kind of dangerous.
Tesla = another cool concept car that has no business in the real world
a) You only have to wait if you've driven for 200+ straight miles and need to go more. Chances are, you're not waiting to charge it because it's doing it while you're at home.
b) Since when is a sports roadster somehow a failure if it can only carry 2 people? It can carry two golf bags. That's enough for a "home base" sports car...what I mean by that is it's a sporty daily driver, not meant for long road trips or thrashing on a track. You driving to a meeting 1/2 way across the state? Your only car probably isn't a $100,000+ spots car, or if it is, you can rent a car for the long drives. You're not going to be hauling luggage with it.
c) Have you even read any of the rest of this thread? Most of your "issues" have already been discussed. You bring nothing new to the table.
d) How is crashing a battery any more dangerous than crashing a car with a tank of compressed hydrogen at 5000psi? Hell, gasoline ain't no walk in the park. This was caused by a gasoline truck that crashed. Fire was so intense, it melted the concrete and the steel structure cast inside it. Asphalt spaghetti, draped on a bridge.
Bottom line is this:
There is no perfect form of transportation. Every type of automotive propulsion system has it's drawbacks. The question is, what is the set that you are willing to deal with? For me, the limitations of not being able to drive more than ~250 miles straight doesn't bother me, nor does it's lack of hardcore track performance. I'd gladly live with it to never have to make a trip to a gas station again, to never have to deal with all of the maintenance a petrol engine requires, I'll deal with the lack of a "proper" engine noise (frankly, the noise it DOES make at 10,000RPM is fucking out of this world). The fact that I could drink what comes out of the "tail pipe" or that running it will only get cleaner and cleaner as technology improves is only a side benefit for me, but it's pretty cool when you think about it. And, the fact that it cam smoke most every vehicle I come across in my normal daily driving (save for the once-a month red-light meeting with a V12 Murciellago) is pretty bitchin'.