Being a conservative means being in touch with reality. Electric car technology is interesting to many engineering types, and is making some advances. It is NOT a sufficiently mature technology to displace gasoline and diesel powered cars and trucks. That's a reality that many electric car advocates seem unwilling to accept or incapable of understanding.
“in order to be a conservative you have to bathe yourself in crude oil every morning.”
As opposed to the coal fired Tesla.
I think you are creating a false dichotomy. I'm not saying that electric cars can replace all gasoline cars today. Obviously recharge times need to improve before that can happen. Currently you can recharge a Tesla to 80% in 30 minutes, but that is not fast enough to put gasoline cars out to pasture.
That does not mean that electric cars of today don't have their place. It is not an either / or scenario. For a two-car family, having an electric car like the Nissan Leaf for commuting can be very practical. Furthermore, extended range electric cars, like the Chevy Volt, Ford Fusion Energi, and Ford C-Max Energi, allow you to do your daily driving on electric while still having a gasoline engine for longer trips.
All I am saying is that conservatives don't need to see electric cars as the enemy. Unfortunately, Obama sat in a Volt once for a photo op and conservatives have been using it as a political punching bag ever since. Most don't even realize that the Volt started development during the Bush administration and that it was Bush who first signed the $7,500 tax credit into law.