On a naive per-mile basis, for short trips, electric cars kill gasoline powered ones. The "fuel" cost for overnight charging is approaching the golden age of $1/gallon. The real question is TCO. Whoever has the better TCO in the long run is going to win, and electric cars have some strong fundamental advantages in their favor here. The biggest stumbling block is the battery. A 40% improvement in TCO of batteries for electric vehicles seems likely, and would enable near future electric vehicles to be competitive on a TCO basis. I'm limited to short trips, but my vehicle becomes maintenance-free? Sold!