Design - The Issue with Electric Cars

Like many of you, I'd like to do my part for the environment.  Like many of you, I would like to make good choices where possible, and where the 'cost' of doing so isn't prohibitive, or problematic.  And like many of you, I don't own a pure electric car.

I think of the core issue here as one of design, or specifically poor design.  It isn't that the automobiles in questions aren't attractive, they are.  It's the use-case design that leaves much to be desired.

Let me explain.  I have two flashlights at home, and one is a battery powered flashlight.  When the batteries die, I replace them.  If I need light immediately, this works fine.  It does require I have a supply of spare batteries handy, otherwise this plan doesn't work so well.  I also have a rechargeable flashlight.  After some prolonged use, the light dims, and I must recharge the flashlight. At times, this isn't feasible as it's often required when the power itself is out..  If I need light immediately, this doesn't work fine, in fact, it remains pretty dark in this latter situation.   Now, I have two flashlights as both use-cases support one another, and act as spares if one situation wouldn't work out...I may not have spare batteries, or may have to use the light for an extended period, or perhaps it isn't fully charged.  But let's get back to cars...

Now the issues with the pure electric car isn't a choice - replaceable battery or recharge station, as the former option doesn't actually exist.  In fact, the principal issue (besides the general lack of recharge facilities) is that the recharge takes hours.  Think of the lines you've seen at the gas pumps.  That takes 5-8mins to re-fill a gasoline or diesel tank. Now imagine the lines if it took 5-8 hours to refill/re-charge.

Herein lies the problem.  What we need is a hybrid (no pun) design so that I can borrow (think propane tank refills) a battery pack, connect it to my car and be off for the next 300-400 miles before I have the time and access to a proper re-charge station. That proper recharge might be at my home, office or destination.  And for what it's worth, the gas/electric hybrids don't cut it here..their mileage isn't great as the battery is an afterthought, and so they're just cumbersome, slow and awkward.  Don't believe me? Drive one.

If we focus on pure electric vehicles and the concept of 'battery packs', there's even a pricing model here that would offer benefits for the return of a fully charged portable battery pack, versus say an empty one.  But...as I said, the design doesn't allow for this, and on top of this
a few issues exist that would be problematic, such as standardized connections, moving them, storing them and so on.  Battery technology remains heavy and well behind where it needs to be...just think of your cellphone and the endless recharges it needs.  Even before this technology gets better though (and it will), someone needs to apply some common sense design-thought to how we actually use cars if the pure electric vehicle is ever to go mainstream.

Otherwise Tesla, Fisker and others will go the way of the dodo.