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[Rods2]

Big progress is being made using nano tube technology to be able to flash charge batteries in the future. Also the latest Tesla has a battery pack where a machine in the garage, removes yours and replaces it with a fully charged one in a few minutes. The manufacturers of the Tesla are working on a grid of garages in the US with such facilities.

So there are challenges but Tesla seem to be by far ahead of the other electric car manufacturers and they are the only profitable electric car maker in the world. They have just paid back a US Government $300m loan early.

So I think with a bit of imagination there are practical solutions to the range problem and I think in the US where there has been a bigger than expected market for electric cars, they are selling well, it will not be long before it becomes a mass market with all of the production scale price reductions.

Hydrogen has major problems, one of which is storing it. The very small molecules means that a full tank will escape and evaporate in about 3 weeks!

In a post fossil fuel world, the most efficient EROEI is probably going to be the nuclear / electricity route. Bio fuels typically have a 0.8 to 1.6:1 ratio, which is not high enough for mass transport systems. Nuclear power generation is typically 30:1 and with the mass production of small Thorium reactors, there is potential for this to go higher.

[Varche]

I've now recovered several Leafs with insufficient charge to get home. The owners who have experienced this before, arrange the recovery whilst there is still some charge to move the car.
None of the people I've spoken to have said they would risk 125miles! All of them say that cold, dark, wet weather reduces the range considerably.

There was a reason why electric cars stopped being popular 100 years ago, and it is the same today: the range simply isn't adequate, and it takes too long to recharge.

It's a pity, because the Leaf is actually a pretty good car, especially considering that it's based around a conventional car with the electric drivetrain in the normal place.

It is an offence in Spain to run out of fuel and quite rightly in my opinion. I guess running out of charge on an EV would count the same. Far too many accidents/deaths due to idiots just running out of fuel. It is one piece of legislation I would like to be EU wide (much as I dislike the EU)  Maybe the answer with an Ev would be to "carry a spare gallon in a can", sort of like a back up battery!