Electric cars are bound to succeed sooner or later because governments will make it impossible for consumers to buy traditional ones.

I *don't* "keep hearing that"...but that DOES seem likely for the much-farther future. Currently, the primary advantages that internal combustion engines have over electric motors is *A* POWER (needed for large vehicles such as construction equipment, commercial transport and transport of any heavy-load trailer) and *B* DISTANCE (a volume of gasoline will move a typical automobile much farther than the same volume of batteries). *** There ARE other considerations, other NEEDFUL advantages of the internal combustion engine, but those are the "big two" for the average traveler. *** Some nations - particularly SMALLER nations - might very well promote electric private automobiles to the point of outlawing internal combustion, because driving distances are typically short and a thorough network of recharging (akin to refueling) stations can be set up by the government. *** But in larger nations such as the U.S. and in colder climes (where batteries can stop functioning in colder temperatures) the internal combustion engine will continue to reign supreme until the advantages of internal combustion engines previously mentioned are met or surpassed by electric vehicles. *** This will require either a huge improvement in battery technology (and note that battery technology has improved TREMENDOUSLY in the last 20 years, but not enough) and/or a huge improvement in solar panel technology (ditto regarding last 20 years). The electric car will eliminate the internal combustion car for day-to-day driving when BOTH of those things happen. I.e. when it becomes SIGNIFICANTLY CHEAPER to drive an electric car, because it is primarily powered by (free) solar energy.