Status symbol or playtoy I would believe. Economy is a stretch, there are no cheap EV's and it requires a fairly specific use model to have the fuel cost mitigate total cost of ownership. If you're already buying luxury cars then transitioning to an EV is seamless but for working stiffs like me they're untouchable. If I really, really wanted one I could find a low end car coming off of lease but that's still about the same as a comparably equipped gas car, and it's still not a car you can take trips in. When I was driving an EV full time there was the "family" gas car we took trips in, the EV was strictly commuting/city/errand vehicle. Perfectly good for that but even with the advances in EV's today they cannot supplant a gas car, so in my mind, even as a semi-EV advocate, an EV makes for an impractical only car unless you live your entire life within a single charge from home. To spend luxury car prices for a vehicle that can't do everything an economy car can, diminishes any operating cost advantage. There is no doubt in my mind that both technically and culturally the EV will be a significant percentage of personal transportation as they become less expensive and more capable. Not really there yet for Joe Sixpack but it's interesting to watch the advancement of the art and how it's playing out across the industry, and society.
Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM