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Having to run the heater and a cold battery are a recipe for an early dirt nap.

I have to give Nissan credit, unlike others that just publish big numbers, they also published lower scenario numbers. I believe the range in the worst scenario was cut to around 60 miles. In really cold climates you can get a battery heater option. Yes it uses power to heat the battery, but that gets out more than is used.

But for me on a 100+ degree day running the AC it would still do what I need. It could handle probably 90% of my driving habits, and I have a van for the rest.

Mid Spring to mid Fall is air conditioner season in eastern Idaho. I wait until 8:30 PM to mow the lawn in July. The oppressive heat is backing off and there is direct sunlight until 9:13 PM. You need air conditioning in the car during the day. That's why my hybrid (2008 Mercury Mariner) never gets better than about 26 MPG combined average over all seasons.

The plug-in car is going to have appeal to a narrow range of customers. It simply doesn't fit my needs...and I'm not willing to hack back my choices to fit within its limits.