To be fair - the problem is that it is that Horse and Buggy is running a real world highway test that also happens to be ~30 MPH over the speed that internal combustion engines would get their best fuel economy. Damn their logic.

“My thoughts as a Pats fan.”

Your statement is absolutely true, but your assumption that someone will stick with the same “platform mate” may not be accurate. The EV and plug-in hybrid era could potentially change how customers react to future petrol price hikes. That is -- if those options survive.

“Actually I’m VERY surprised that Texas is #2 on the list as Tesla still can’t sell directly in Texas, IIRC”

There are many factors involved, but one of which is how electricity is created in the state. (See link below.) Kentucky is still heavily coal, so electric vehicles do not make as much sense. (Still an improvement over dino-power, but not dramatically so.) Tennessee is mostly nuclear with coal in second, so…

“A difference of 2-4 mpg isn’t that big of a deal for most folks.”

To be fair - you are comparing the new Supra to one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

5G seems like a potential answer to areas with one (or less) broadband connections for their home, but I do not hear many people complaining that their Instagram feed on their iPhone is not refreshing fast enough.

“If EVs can’t sell on their own merits, then they’re not really the future, are they?”

... because all three vehicles have identical crash test scores?

“... which means that if one of these is behind you, you’re greeted with the sight of just grille, massive and hungry, filling your view.”

“The vast majority of electric cars sell for north of $35k”

Oh, and I think your stats about battery production (cobalt) may be out of date. Watch this video from a few weeks ago:

There are many ideas that would be better for the planet than the 7.5K tax credit ... Add 50 additional cents of federal tax on gasoline annually, for example. However, all of these better ideas need congress to pass them as a law. Until that happens, a 7.5K credit for EV purchases is what we have.

“So... where are we getting the electricity?”

I wish it were not the case, but driving dynamics simply doesn’t matter in the gridlock traffic most of America sits in every day. There are so few people that live in an area where they can truly drive during their every-day trips, and precious few of us that require a real vehicle for our weekend escape to the…

3rd Gear:

2nd Gear: On the bright [cough] side, having Toyota adaptive high beams blinding me will mean I won’t see their new Prius designs

Tesla Model 3, as the $35,000 trim will also go into production sometime in “early 2019,” 

Neutral: It will instantly raise the price of their cars by thousands of dollars so, yes, it is a big deal. Tesla is, no doubt, exploring their options.