Electric vehicles face a number of difficult issues if they are to gain a significant share of U.S. automotive sales. Getting a permit shouldn't be one of them.
As BMW found out in its test of Mini E electric cars, various government units have widely different policies regarding the installation of 220-volt charge boxes. Since most automotive battery recharging probably will occur at home, that's a major obstacle.
Automakers, government groups and utilities should move quickly to create a standard code for high-voltage home chargers. This may be a secondary issue in the future of EVs, but it must be dealt with.