It's the "takes this car seriously" part that matters a lot. I've seen one or two i3s around the Seattle area, but Teslas and Nissan Leafs fill the roads around here, so there's bound to be a few BMW early adopters. Is the i3 going to sell in Indianapolis, though?
I already have a Nissan Leaf. But if I were to have never owned an electric car and were to go buy one today, it'd be a Leaf or a Tesla. Why? Because I've already bought a lifetime of half-assed, soon-to-be-unsupported tech. Those items were typically less than $1000 (though I've purchased some duds that were more pricey). If I'm dropping $30K or more, it's for damned sure going to be from a company that I'm confident is in it for the long haul (and not, as you say, making an "eco-statement"). Right now Nissan and Tesla are the only ones that have convinced me that they fit that requirement.