> In just ten years we’ve gone from the first Model S leaving the assembly line to electric F-150 and Mustang. That’s as mainstream as it gets.

I agree with you and I think you make a more important point than the CEO of Toyota is trying to "Silent Majority" his way out of.

Let's just get out of the way and say if you have to use the term "silent majority" you better make sure you're not falling victim to confirmation bias (aka, "other automotive CEOs who are similarly viewed as 'behind' in the EV space feel the same").

But the bigger point is "the point at which the benefits of an EV exceed the trade-offs for most people in developed countries." I think we're there, or we're getting there once the initial cost of the vehicle comes down[0].

There's no question it's "mainstream" and I'm having a really hard time these days seeing any downside -- for my specific vehicle needs -- to owning an EV and several upsides without taking the cost of fuel into account[1]. Being that Volkswagen had let slip they were designing an electric version of the classic VW Bus, I figured I'd wait for that to be out a couple of years and purchased a used Dodge Caravan for the time being.

Family circumstances led to me no longer needing a van and because of how little I drive, I'm beginning to wonder if it makes sense for me to own a car at all. That was unthinkable where I live about 15 years ago but I'm driving so infrequently that I'm often finding I'm failing to do maintenance on time (well under miles, but past the date -- sometimes it matters). The car is paid off but I need to sit down and factor in the cost of maintaining insurance, registration, oil/transmission changes, tire rotations (which required new tires due to my failure to realize how past due I was), alignment, brakes (similar to tires, I'm often replacing rotors), fuel, cleaning and repair and just see what that is costing me per month. I own a motorcycle which I drive in the warm months in most weather -- total maintenance/insurance is $250/yr, tires/repairs, it's probably added $20/yr to the cost and I paid cash for it -- new -- in 2012. I'm easily past the point where "Uber/Lyft" would be much less costly than owning a car.

The loss of having a (safer) vehicle "on demand" and the way that might appear to someone I'm dating is a huge factor, though. I don't know what kind of regular maintenance is required for an electric vehicle, but I've read that some manufacturers are considering using drum brakes throughout[2]. There's no equivalent to oil changes, I'd expect there is (or will be at some point) a way to tell the vehicle to keep the charge at an "storage/idle state[3]" Stored in a garage between 40-80 (sorry, Fahrenheit) year round, what kind of other maintenance am I looking at? Could I sock some money away each month to replace the battery and how much would I need to plan to have/when?

I'm not what a lot of people would consider the mainstream EV buyer. External effects excluded, the cost of fuel would start affecting me, probably, at $10/gallon with my driving habits. I don't care abut the impact of my driving on climate change and generally do not make large purchasing decisions based on environmental concerns (character flaw as it is). I don't care how fast it accelerates, or how sexy it looks. For my driving needs (and wants), though, it's looking like an EV is by far the best choice.

Of course, astute observers will notice that this is a pretty non-optimal solution to my problem. The "Uber/Lyft" solution is cheapest, but involves someone driving me around. Because my driving tends to schedule well (mostly Friday-Monday, presently, though that will change), renting a car on the weekend would be a suitable option if it weren't an awful experience. I don't see a way for a company to swoop in and fill this space (without going bankrupt) with current technology/culture. For example, if the "Uber/Lyft" solution were self-driving vehicles, I'd be more apt to drop car ownership. I think a lot of people would. At what point does "getting places" become so generic that you simply "subscribe to transportation" and an array of options is available to you based on where you're headed/the purpose of your trip. At a certain point, that sort of thing changes "why we travel", as well.

[0] People are kind of terrible at factoring in total cost of ownership.

[1] The last time I was in the market for a new car, my driving needs were under 10,000 miles a year but most of those miles involved six passengers.

[2] Not a car guy but my understanding: Drum brakes are not exposed to the elements and otherwise last much longer but are more expensive to repair (they may also not stop the wheel as well but I don't know). With regenerative braking, drum brakes will last substantially longer than disc.

[3] Other EV devices I own recommend 40-60% to keep the battery from premature death.