Your turn.
I know. The writer (like most reporters) can't do simple arithmetic.
Fuel is just part of the total cost of ownership. Doesn't matter how fuel-efficient it is if it needs tuneup/repair every week, or if it needs replacing after 25K miles. I would want more reliability figures before wanting to buy it.
If I were the developer, I would put a few dozen on the road as taxis or other high-mileage commercial vehicle. Get 50K-100K miles on it in a year or so, see the reliability figures, and THEN market it (and yes, a NYC taxi would get that kind of mileage in a year or two -- a medallion taxi often gets driven round the clock by shifts of drivers)