[Stuart]

It is potentially a good use for their existing infrastructure, and potentially a good source of income (even if it's free initially, I shouldn't think for a second it's going to stay free).

That said, while battery technology is better than it was a few years ago, I think people will have to change their attitude toward powering the car.

With a fossil fuel car, you can go into the fuel station with almost no fuel, and have a full tank in a few minutes. That's not feasible with current battery technology, and I don't think it's going to be feasible for a long time. Electric cars apparently work best if you fully charge them over night, then use chargers outside the house to top up the charge, if necessary.

Even Tesla seem to have given up the fight to give electric cars a full charge quickly, and seem to have switched tactics so they are putting superchargers in places where there are things to do, so people won't mind hanging round for hours while the car charges, rather than building service stations all over the country where they swap your empty battery for a fully charged one.

Reading this post again, it appears I am quite anti electric cars. I am not. One of my neighbours has a Tesla Model S, and I think it's an amazing car. I would buy one tomorrow if I could afford it, and I could drive. And yes, my neighbour does charge it overnight, ready for work in the morning, then top up the charge if and when needed.