Think about it...taxis, delivery services, people who use their car for business - all these folks are immediately excluded from a 40 mile electric range car.

Even for commuting - MANY people drive 25 miles or more to get to their work place. A 40 mile range means they can't even get to and from work, without kicking in the gas motor.

A 40 mile range is not a practical car. It's reduced to a statement.

You need at least a 100 mile range sans gasoline - and you need a non-gas, passive and "green" method of augmenting and recharging the batteries.

Ideally, you should be able to stall & run out of charge at noon and after just an hour of sitting in the sun, start it up again and drive it to a charging station. Towing stalled electric cars would become a booming industry with these Chrysler electric hybrids and GM's Volt.

If these are anything like the EV1 - you wont be able to charge them in the time it takes you to relieve yourself at a service station every 40 miles.

;-)