I've been waiting and waiting for a plug-in hybrid. Last I heard it is still a year or two out with Toyota, despite a California company modding them to this for the last several years.
I'm sure the Chinese car is $6000 for a reason - materials, luxury features (like heating/AC, power windows, power locks, etc), safety features, power/speed, and so forth are probably far below what US citizens would ever accept.
I live in Wisconsin, commuting 50 miles round trip on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I might be able to take the 30 hour recharge rate - but no heating and too light of weight would be a death sentence during the winter.
After my Corolla is paid off in December, I'll start saving up for the plug-in Prius purchase in 2015 or so (hopefully).
As for the Tesla layoffs, I am not surprised. We in the US seem to believe a trend continues forever instead of being cyclical. With oil being relatively "cheap" again, suddenly alternative energy research will be put on the back burner. Top it off with a lack of credit and no savings, and no one could afford a more expensive electric car anyway!