Those are the two ways I see EVs going mainstream. 1) Gas prices explode. 2) There's a battery technology game changer. Otherwise, it's just a commuter or runabout for most drivers- even though it does those two things better than any gas car that I've driven, IMHO.
If gas prices "explode", people aren't going to go out and buy a $37,000 car that gets 72 miles per charge. They will simply drive less. Or, they will budget for the higher amount that petrol costs and cut somewhere else.
DanandNan, I've been saying this for a long time here. EV's will NOT go mainstream until two things happen. They get the price down to comparable petrol engined vehicles; and the range of the battery increases considerably.
You could have quick chargers on every corner like they do gas stations now but if it takes 1/2 hour to charge, it's a losing business model. Especially when the manufacturer of the company states that it's not real healthy for the battery to be charged often with a quick charger.
People also have in their minds, that laptop batteries last a couple years and they're a brick. IF this battery can last five years and degrade "only" 30%, that is still about 21 miles so now the car has a range of 50 miles.
It is going to take decades for a gradual transition to another type of energy propulsion, whether it's natural gas, electric, hydrogen, gasoline hybride or a combination. It takes, money, time, and there's the pesky little problem of having people actually buy your product. And if sales are an indicator, that's going to be an issue.
A couple hundred cars every month in the U.S. isn't going to cut it. People aren't going to be any more confident about EV's now than 20 years ago if the same problems exist, which, they do. Limited range, high cost, and degrading batteries.
Just because enthusiasts are willing to accept the shortcomings of a 100% EV, doesn't mean the other 99+% are going to.