It would depend on how long the break takes to fully recharge for the remainder of the trip. Currently it's a 15-20 minute break to fill the tank, make a pit stop and maybe get a soda. I imagine it would be multiples of that to recharge 200 miles worth.

Usually 25 minutes gets you 80% depending on the car, but with the new tech in development, it should be slashed to 15 minutes (the same tech that will let us charge a smart phone in 60 seconds)

I've got to stop buying cars but if I do buy another I may at least split the difference with a Volt or whatever is similar at that time that would take care of 9x% of my driving on battery power and for the rare road trip wouldn't be much different than now.

Many BEVs have a buffer in the battery capacity. So the EPA ranges are for the car at around 80% charge. Tesla allows a range charge which uses all the batteries capacity that will exceed the EPA rating, but I don't think anybody else does.

The Tesla Model X? Perfect (except for the price)?

• I dislike the exterior styling. It looks downright frumpy. I dislike the interior styling. Worst case of "just stick on an iPad" of any automaker.
• Luxury? Seats that look and feel cheap. Misaligned body panels and doors.
• Comes from a company that's infamous for having to replace 60% of Model S power trains before 60,000 miles. Yikes!
• Form factor (e.g., SUV)? The back seats don't fold down. That's a big deal for someone (like me) who gets an SUV to actually haul stuff, like drums to a gig.
• A purchase price that's more than double what I paid for my "perfect for me" Audi Q5 3.0L diesel SUV.
• I kept my last car 18 years. What will it cost to replace the batteries, and how many time will I need to do that over the lifetime of my car? Unknown. BIG unknown. Expensive unknown
• Which makes the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) a LOT higher than my current car!

While Tesla (the company) and Tesla owners rave about how perfect their vehicles are, clearly, they're for a more "specific" clientele who doesn't perceive these things as shortcomings or meaningful problems. I do.

Ya never know! Elon Musk reports battery storage density is improving about 5-7% compounded annually.

As battery tech advances, electric cars will probably have fewer batteries to make a car more affordable before adding more batteries to achieve a 500 mile driving range on a single charge. But, ya never know!

I see the glass as 1/2 full. Tesla should be FAMOUS for protecting their reputation, honoring their sales warranty, and replacing all the failed power trains.

This failure taught the Tesla engineering team a lesson that has surely been corrected.

Even GM, a hugely more experienced auto maker, had recent problems with something as simple as an ignition key switch.

Tesla is a pioneer in the electric car market. The definition of a pioneer is "one with an arrow in their back". For Elon Musk to have successfully navigated a minefield of startup business and engineering obstacles this far is a remarkable story of resilience and fortitude. We are witnessing a business case study that will likely be the subject of university business schools in future years.

Well there's only one Electric SUV currently in production, the Model X, so if it's not to your taste, that's fair enough. But the TCO is a bit of a grey area, i'm guessing it will overall be cheaper per mile than the Audi.

For example, if I assume a Leaf battery will do 150,000 miles (some have already and are still going) and needs replacing, it will currently cost about £5000. The fuel cost alone in my car would be nearly £25,000 for the same miles, so there's a £20,000 saving straight up. And chances are, you can just replace bad cells, which will be a few hundred, not thousand. And remember, price per KWH of batteries is falling, whilst capacity is increasing, so by the time it's due replacement, it will be a lot cheaper than todays prices.

My current car, the "whole life cost" is estimated to be £55,000!

Paul, I forget. What's the reason for the standard car battery in an EV?

I know very little about car electronics, but i'm assuming its to run lower voltage things like lights, heaters, window motors etc?