I can see another problem for the dealers and independent mechanics in the future. An electrical engine is so simple and durable that the car owner will only need to replace the tires and brakes every say-50K miles and replace the battery every 5 years or more. The battery is where the technical break through has to happen.
Bingo. I hear all the time that dealers make more money off of their service centers than on sales nowadays. Dealers generally have little interest in selling electric cars. I test drove a Chevy Volt a while ago (although it is electric and gas, you don't use the gas very often) and I spent the entire test drive teaching the salesman about the car.
“...and replace the battery every 5 years or more. The battery is where the technical break through has to happen.”
The definitely need to have some breakthroughs to bring the price down, but after being on the market for four years, Chevy Volts at least have shown to have virtually no reduction in battery capacity. The Volt has some pretty advanced battery cooling and charge management though. I'm not as familiar with how other electric cars have fared.