In return you get a very fast sedan that can't be used for any long road trips. It would be fine for commutes and around town, but even something like a trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco would be a major fail.
However, I'd much rather take the scenic route via 101 and stop over in Paso Robles and get the car charged up while at a nice B&B, wine tasting, etc. ;)
That being said, the 'long trip' scenario is somewhat of red herring. If you regularly travel several hundred miles a day then an all electric car is probably unlikely to meet your vehicle requirements. If its an occasional (once a year) kind of thing then creative solutions might arise to address it.
Were the Tesla guys willing to put a high power plug in the back I could imagine a 'trailer' which held a generator and a gas tank and provided power all the way there.
And I agree, SF<->LA is not a long drive.
As someone with a family, my requirements for a family car need to cover the possibility of extended road trips. Sure, I know that in theory I could just rent a gas car for that, but I know in practice that it won't happen. So "able to handle long road trips" is solidly in my personal list of firm requirements for a family vehicle. Sure, I don't need to do it every day. But it is something I need that vehicle to do.
Every major US city has electric power stations. From that map, you could very easily make a continental road trip in the United States. And, this map is out of date. Chicago alone is building over 250 quick charge stations this year.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-02-10/classified/ct-...
Obviously, there are improvements to be made. But the infrastructure to support electric cars is quickly being stood up. Much of that has come from the Recovery and Reinvestment Act, definitely, but there are going to be the equivalent of 87 gas stations for electric cars in Chicago at the end of this year. I find that amazing and uplifting.
30 minutes still is non-trivial to the person accustomed to the 5 minute fill up. Technology will get better but we also need to be willing to make some lifestyle changes that enable us to live cleaner, healthier lives going forward. Reading a book or exploring a new city or plugging in after lunch is a very pleasant way for those changes to come about.
Edit: The Chicago 250+ are all Level 3s. They are also building a couple hundred Level 2s which take the four hours that the Telsa one does.