Conversion to electric won't be overnight. For one thing, I doubt the power grid could stand it without major upgrades...electricity doesn't magically pour out of a wall socket in unlimited quantities.
It's also going to mean the government has to get onboard. They've been pushing electric cars but, at the same time, add all kinds of regulatory barriers to new power plants. That will have to change.
Electric is kind of a general category. Fuel cells fill the bill just as well as batteries. There is also a kind of battery in which you pump a charged electrolyte into the battery to make power. Once the electrolyte is discharged it is removed and recharged while new electrolyte is put in the vehicle. From a consumer standpoint this would be almost identical to just putting gasoline in your car.
Battery technology is steadily improving, it took decades to get on the right track but now the actual challenges are recognized and development can be focused. At current rate of progress batteries will be far more capable when the grid is finally able to support the demand. Considering that we have cars capable of well beyond 200 miles right now, the level of improvement needed doesn't look that impossible.
Electric cars will be much more simple and rugged than any vehicle with a piston engine, no matter what kind of engine. Durability will go up, maintenance will go down. Eventually, price will fall in relative dollars as the market matures and the need for new batteries falls off. (Yes, you can recycle lithium batteries, the costs will fall when the market is mature).
I suspect there will be no major heartaches with consumers switching over. Most people could care less as to what is under the hood...it just has to do a certain job with a given amount of fuss and cost.
