Cogan is not some EV-naysayer wedded to internal combustion. He’s been covering EVs and alt-fuel vehicles since 1992 through his award-winning magazine Green Car Journal. He spent a year living with the pioneering General Motors EV1 electric car, and you’d be hard-pressed to find an alt-fuel car he hasn’t driven. But despite their promise of eco-friendlier mobility, battery-powered vehicles remain cost-prohibitive and will for some time to come, he says.

“There’s a shroud of denial that regularly excludes the real cost of battery electric vehicles from discussion of their considerable benefits,” he says. “I understand first-hand the advantages of an electric car with its high-efficiency, zero localized emissions and petroleum free operation. But I also recognize the importance of an affordable cost so most people can buy them, and that’s a crucial issue that’s rarely, if ever, discussed. People should be asking why.”