The truth is we're really not that close to fully-autonomous cars. Even Elon Musk's most ambitious projections for "autopilot" are a car that can drive itself 90 - 95% of the time but will require an alert, licensed driver to take over if necessary.
Secondly, I don't feel that the possible rise of truly autonomous vehicles (if that even occurs within the next ten years) affects the main point of this article. In fact, the advantages of battery-electric over gasoline become even more pronounced in a world of self-driving cars. The only drawback (speed to refuel) becomes moot as fully-charged vehicles can be dispatched while others direct themselves to charging or battery-swap stations.
Secondly, I don't feel that the possible rise of truly autonomous vehicles (if that even occurs within the next ten years) affects the main point of this article. In fact, the advantages of battery-electric over gasoline become even more pronounced in a world of self-driving cars. The only drawback (speed to refuel) becomes moot as fully-charged vehicles can be dispatched while others direct themselves to charging or battery-swap stations.