If I remember right, the electric car was affordable; they could be leased for $299-$574 (they weren't available for purchase). Furthermore, the GM EV1 could go 80mph and roughly 120 miles on a single charge, which is more than enough for the average driver. What was nice about these cars was the fact they were quiet and it was only like 1/3-1/2 the price of gasoline to drive it (at the time of the production of these cars). Since gas prices have sky-rocketed recently, it wouldn't surprise me if the relative price was a lot smaller.