I too wanted to "buy" an EV1, while refusing to lease it. I was "on the list" if GM evey changed their minds about leasing, and I hate GM products. I refuse to lease. A few years ago Ford bought out Think, a European elecetric car company -- I want to say Sweedish or Dutch. At the time they made several vehicles, one was open air (think golf cart like) with just a roof, they then had a small enclosed version (very small, with plastic body panels, a delivery van, and they also made electric busses and such for commercial use. I went to my local Ford dealer, who was Think approved and wanted to get the small enclosed one. Ford was only importing the open air golf cart one. They tried very hard to sell that to me, but even in CA, it rains occassionally and I wanted a car, not a golf cart. I left my name an number, for the enclosed one, called the "City." They even already had the American brochures printed up. They were supposed to be in in about 6 - 8 mos. It was to be a 2nd car for my wife and I, my commute was only about 15 miles, so I would have been fine. Ford instead pulled the plug on the whole project. Citing lack of interest, they closed the entire company. There was never any advertising - that I saw anyway, and they also only offered the open air version for sale -- which wasn't highway legal. And closed the entire project based on that. Same thing with the EV1, let's take a project we really don't want, and that admittedly has a narrow market, and further limit the appeal. I am not saying either would outsell the Explorer, but when you don't advertise an entirely new product, then you hamper it with lease only or non weatherproof -- you can't really measure the support accurately. The fact that there are people taking time out of their lives to camp out to save the EV1 tells me there is some demand. And they aren't even asking GM to make more, although I would hope they would, they are just asking them to sell the ones they have. GM would rather crush them. In Ford's case, when a company made a bid to purchase Think from them with the rights to all the vehicles including the right to sell the City in the US, Ford refused. Would rather bury the company than sell off its assets??? Why? You, as a company, have decided this doesn't work for you, why not recover part of your loss? I am not a paranoia freak, but maybe so someone else could not prove that the idea/concept has potential? It just needs the right engine (pun intended) behind it.
If the EV2 or 3 was availible now, I would seriously consider getting one for a second car -- keeping the Prius for long trips. My wife's commute isn't even a mile now, so an electric car would be fine for the days she doesn't walk. The limitation would have no affect when running errands, 100 miles is more than I need to go to the grocery store, Costco, and Home Depot.
Spike