#GREENFAIL: Santa Monica Bets on Electric Cars, but Consumers Are Slow to Switch. Here in Knoxville, as even one of my Prius-driving buddies notes, we have electric-car charging stations all over, but you never see a single car hooked up to charge. I do see the occasional Leaf on the road, but never at the chargers. Plus, this problem: “When she or her husband, who drives a Ford Fusion plug-in hybrid, run the air-conditioning at home while charging their cars, the fuse blows, she said.” And: “Consumers have been slow to buy electric vehicles because they cost more while providing less range.” Yeah, that’s the key problem right there. Ideally, I’d keep a Tesla to drive around town, and maybe that Audi A8 TDI for long road trips. But that would mean investing as much (actually more) in cars than most people invest in their house, which isn’t very practical.