[bitsamonkey]

I agree the article makes a valid point as far as the mpg equivalent rating, yet ignores a number of other factors that make these types of vehicles interesting.
Just like that kilowatthour doesn't get stored in the EV's batteries for "free", the IC vehicle's gallon of fuel requires a significant amount of energy to arrive at the pump.
There are further pros and cons that need to be weighed, and you can really get into it, but a couple of issues that come to mind are:
-EV's make sense in urban areas that suffer from smog as the power generator is located well outside of these areas.
-electricity can be generated from renewable sources: wind, solar, geothermal etc.
-many coal powered plants are changing to natural gas which we have in abundant supply and is quite a bit cleaner.
-on the down side batteries aren't exactly environmentally friendly to manufacture and have a lifespan
-until they have the confidence to put out a true EV (no gas backup) they're putting two systems in a car that should only require one
-seems hard to beat TDI technology right now, but I don't know when we'll ever see a real offering of those vehicles here in the US
-you can go on ad nauseum pro and con

I'm a diehard, fossil fuel loving, motorhead, but I'm all for developing these types of vehicles as soon as possible.
The more leafs we've got running around the less demand for gas, the more we can dump in our boats!
Plus I'd love a hybrid powerplant in my boat that would charge itself (solar, wind) while it sits on my trailer 90% of the time and allow me to idle around on battery power (stealth mode for killing more fish)