That's a different question to the one I was interpreting the thread title as, it's not that I think electric cars will change the current balance of car/walk/cycle etc. but the effect they've have on the future balance. If electric cars didn't exist then with rising fuel costs then potentially may consider not using a car but now they have the option of an electric car that they can use guilt free and think they're being green about it that potential for non-car transport is lost. That is my big problem with electric cars and I do very much agree with the OP that they're being oversold because they're seen as this great all encompassing solution when in reality they maintain almost all the problems with current cars.
The obvious problem is that they take up the same space on a road, or when parked, but they are a cleaner method of transport in a town or city (assuming you charge with green energy) and are likely to be LOADS more reliable than an ICE car. Over time, very little needs to be done on an EV so the ongoing maintenance costs are going to be low. At the end of their life, almost
everything can be recycled (and will, as there are going to be loads of new jobs in this sector to do just that).
Of course the industry will find ways to make you still need to pay a fortune. Many issues with EVs won't be the drivetrain but the electronics, with sensors or screens failing etc. Expensive repairs of what will actually be cheap components (and easy and quick to swap out) because they'll make it expensive.
The industry does of course want to try and hide all the extra costs, by introducing car subscriptions. Just pay £200-300 a month for the rest of your life by DD and swap and change vehicle every few years. Want a better spec? Just pay £50 to unlock the heated seats for 3 months. More range? Unlock the 20% of the battery the ECU was locking out.. another £50 please.
Of course EVs are going to be full of gotchas in the future, but they're still the future and people won't give up their cars. I do expect the Chinese to import far cheaper, and more simple, EVs in the coming years and the costs to plummet. Smart buyers will look at these and avoid the big car makers wanting to charge you for anything and everything, and do without some creature comforts for the commute/school run. They'll almost be a small step up from an electric bike, capable of coping with all weathers and carrying more than one person or some luggage/shopping.
Today the industry seems to be more interested in high-end EVs but that's going to change big time. When smaller cars come, that alone might help encourage people to only use them for essential runs and public transport for longer journeys.
Worse still, it didn't run out of charge even after being stuck on the M4 for an hour in traffic after an incident. Oh no!