This is a very interesting thread, I have not seen any of it before having been away from here for a few years until a month or so ago.
I think I am too much of a control freak for such a control system though the Audi sounds like it must be near the top of the genre, and perhaps reassuringly for an owner I am not aware of anything else that has come along in the last two years that offers much more.
Nevertheless my concern would be obsolescence, it's still immature technology and is restricted by needing to recharge rather than replace depleted batteries, all it needs is a step in battery technology that halves the weight and doubles the power (which is only like Moore's law in computing) and today's electric and hybrid cars could be obsolete over night.
Perhaps if the manufacturers can get together and agree on an industry standard battery module, multiples of which can be fitted to all sorts of electric and hybrid cars, one in a city car, perhaps six in a limo, enabling them to be refuelled in minutes by swopping depleted batteries for charged ones in no more time than it takes to fill up with 60 ltrs of unleaded or diesel then hybrid/electric cars might be a viable alternative to diesel and petrol. This would also future proof electric cars by enabling existing ones to take advantage of new battery technologies. In this regard, in financial terms separating the commercials of the battery from the car via battery leasing also helps to make the cars more future proof.
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