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Tesla is the only company in the world selling production electric cars that are fully street-legal.

No they aren't.

I don't find these electric cars ugly:

The Tesla is not very ugly, and the Think Ox is not to shabby either.

http://www.think.no/

Your daughtersoftiresias.org seems a tad biased, especially when it comes to batteries. They mention that the Prius batteries are warrantied for eight years, but don't mention that they're only ever depleted to 40-60% of their total charge to preserve battery life.[1] Using only half your power isn't feasible in electric cars, since your range is already low.

They talk about cheaper, longer-lasting batteries with high energy density. So where can I buy one? I notice a distinct lack of citations in this section. Perhaps they're mistaking things being worked on in a lab as products available to consumers? I see the statement "Supercapacitors also have extremely long lifespans." Great! But they also have less than 10% the energy density of lead-acid batteries, and the cost is prohibitive. They then go on to talk about the cost of running a car based solely on the cost to charge, ignoring the cost of periodically replacing the battery.

The cheapest car I've seen with a decent range is the Th!nk City [2], which costs 20,000 EUR up front, and goes up to 180 km per charge. You pay a monthly fee of 200 EUR, and they'll replace the battery every five years. Works out to 12,000 EUR (roughly 18,000 US) for a battery pack, which is pretty good. Your choice of lithium-ion or molten-salt battery. If you know of a cheaper car with that kind of range, I'd like to see it. (The Aptera also looks promising.)

Don't get me wrong - battery technology is advancing at a furious pace. But the affordable long-lasting battery they describe doesn't exist. (yet)

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Prius
2. http://www.think.no/think/Think-Models-Concepts/TH!NK-i-city-i/Market-plans

Sounds similar to the new hybrid electric car that Dean Kamen & the Norwegian company 'Think' are working on. I put it on my blog not long ago.

http://en.think.no/

Actually, according to their website, when you're running low on juice, you pull over and fill up on gas. It has a Stirling engine that will recharge the batteries that drive the car, even while you're driving. Way more efficient and quieter than an ICE. Swapping batteries would allow you to never use gas, but A) seems physically problematic (these batteries are big, heavy, and designed to be non-trivial to remove from the car), B) seems ripe for abuse (when the battery is getting old, drive to a non-local juice station and swap batteries), and C) would effectively stop battery development dead (would you spend more on better batteries if it meant you could never refill at the juice station again?).

I've heard claims that there used to be a pure-electric plugin vehicle that came with a small trailer containing a generator. So you could take your gas-enabling with you when you wanted it, but leave it home 90% of the time. I have never seen this, don't know how the separate system would actually play out, but it sounds cool...

Before you start saying things you know nothing about, maybe you should checkout their website and see for yourself. They do have room for the groceries, but not for the kids.

http://en.think.no/

And with a range of about 112 miles this would be perfect for many people as a second car. But the price needs to come down a bit.

I think it's a good idea with a lot of potential here in Europe, maybe not in the US.

For me it's definitely enough car. For most people it would make a great second car.

From their homepage:
Range: 180km
Speed: max. 100km/h

A max. speed of 120km/h would be nicer, but range and speed are sufficient for all of the routes on which I prefer car over train.

Think http://www.think.no/ are releasing a new car and with it a battery insurance plan. You pay 975NOK a month and they take care of the battery.

"I just finished watching 'Who Killed the Electric Car', and was quite impressed.

Ok, so you're easily impressed, then!

I'm too poor to buy anything but an old clunker, and not eager to pollute the atmosphere (or empty my wallet) with gasoline.

You can try walking, or biking. Preferably with environmentally friendly shoes and/or bike. Or take the bus. But if what you want is a cheap, environmentally friendly car, your best bet is to just get one that uses little gasoline. Morris Mini or 2CV?

The movie inspired me: I think I'd like to convert an old car (or perhaps a motorbike) to run on electricity.

Well, good luck. The marketplace has pretty much proven that electric cars aren't viable at this time. Huge companies have tried, and failed. Some electric cars have been produced, but they are mostly novelty items, like the Think Car.

But sure, go ahead, waste your money. Only don't claim it's environmentally friendly. The batteries and money you waste on this project will contribute more to global pollution than all the gasoline you would have burned in your car had you just driven it.

Have Slashdot readers attempted such a thing before? What experiences have you had, and what would you recommend or not recommend?"

There are so many idiots on /. that it is likely that someone here has probably already attempted to remove stains by using paint. I would recommend to get a small car with low mileage. Make sure its engine is tuned correctly. And just drive it.