I own a Chevrolet Volt. Not a full battery electric vehicle but a plug-in hybrid with a large enough battery to qualt for the full federal rebate.
Got it used at a price similar to a similarly equipped gasoline vehicle.
Love the way it drives, instant acceleration in a no compromise vehicle.
Lower maintenance than a typical car but be wary of things that are slightly more expensive (tires cost more as they need to be designed to support the extra weight of the batteries.). Insurance varies by car - Tesla's are expensive to insure as the costs to repair are high. Same with the BMW i3 with an expensive to repair carbon fiber body.
Technology for electrical cars are improving fast. Be wary of manufacturers that skimp out on a battery cooling system (Nissan leaf) as those can have significantly shorter lives with quick charging or hot/cold climates.
Particularly in states with additional incentives (California) there are many good deals on electric cars with overall pricing similar to gasoline cars.
Good to know Eric. Thanks for the tips. When do you think you'll ever go full electric?
Not for a while. There are still too many tradeoffs for most people. For families with 3 vehicles it probably makes sense for one to be battery electric for shorter trips. But that's likely a case where you have more cars than you really need, need a large truck/suv to tow a boat or drive a lot of miles.
Road trips - seeing in-laws, particularly with young kids, stopping 30 minutes to gain another 90 miles of range is a pain. Then when you get there, there is the odd social etiquette of can I plug in my car? Highway driving - for electric vehicles that have a gas alternative is generally cheaper on gas than electricity.
In winter time, range on all the electric cars drop as batteries can't hold as much energy when it's cold. Less of an issue in most of California, but a challenge for a lot of the US. I also like to ski and will want a car with a gasoline option for long range cold weather driving. Some ski resorts do offer a charger which is nice, and the electric vehicle spots are generally located in desirable spots which results in less walking.
For the foreseeable future, the volt gives me an all electric drive for most of my driving and a gas option for longer trips. A battery only vehicle will leave me wanting a gasoline car some of the time, which negates a lot of the benefit of switching from a plug-in hybrid to a battery only EV.
Longer term- the hydrogen electric cars are worth watching. Problem now is the lack of hydrogen infrastructure. But the Honda clarity is a good example of how easy it is to put a hydrogen generator on top of an EV and make a mechanically simple but also seamless hydrogen-EV.
