I don't own a Toyota, so I'm not familiar with that system. Only just recently in this comment branch has it been explicitly stated (by green1) that the vehicles are keyless. What I'm familiar with are actual mechanical switches that connect and disconnect power to certain subsystems, and they're usually attached to a lock cylinder that is operated by a key, just as you describe.

There are serious safety issues posed by using what amounts to a digital computer input going high for "turning the car on and off." How engineers could justify making a choice like that, I'm not sure. But it's not the direction I would have gone.

I see. I'm familiar with ignition switches that actually apply or remove power to specific systems, rather than an input to a computer. Thank you for clarifying that, it definitely makes a difference.

I think you're hitting the nail on the head, actually, though your comment might be better placed elsewhere. On a similar note, some of the best drivers I've ever met are the ones that drive the widest range of vehicles - from farm tractors, to cars, to tractor-trailers. In order to maintain control of all these different vehicles, you've gotta be on your game. Inattentiveness/laziness on any of those vehicles will lead to an accident or a death.

But you'd have to know what it does, and then trust it to work as expected. If it were to disconnect the batteries, would it also remove the power of power-assisted steering and/or brakes? Headlights or hazard lights?

That circuit would also introduce more expense, more wiring points, and therefore more points of failure. If someone thought it was fun to hit the e-stop while the car was under load (going up a steep hill), and it failed (contacts welded together) after the 99th time of that kind of practice, who would be at fault? Does that qualify as operator abuse? How would that/could that be logged?

I wrote this farther down and I'll copy and paste it here:
I work with industrial controls for a living, and while I understand the necessity of e-stops in an industrial situation, those situations are not encountered by the public - the operator requires extensive safety training of that machine first and foremost. Just like you wouldn't expect your 5-year old to operate your table saw with no prior training, you cannot expect an e-stop button to solve the problems that a mentally incompetent operator can bring to the table. Drivers already have a way to disable their vehicle - the ignition switch. Whether or not they think about using it is a training/human issue. Providing one or 10 local emergency stops does not change the fact that it is a training/human issue.

Another commenter brought up the e-stop idea, and I have to disagree from a consumer's vantage point: A large mushroom operator placed in visual range of the driver is, IMHO, going to cause paranoia or at the very least uncertainty about when to use it. I work with industrial controls for a living, and while I understand the necessity of e-stops in an industrial situation, those situations are not encountered by the public - the operator requires extensive safety training of that machine first and foremost. Just like you wouldn't expect your 5-year old to operate your table saw with no prior training, you cannot expect an e-stop button to solve the problems that a mentally incompetent operator can bring to the table.

Drivers already have a way to disable their vehicle - the ignition switch. Whether or not they think about using it is a training/human issue. Providing one or 10 local emergency stops does not change the fact that it is a training/human issue.

True drunks don't care about convenience. If they're so inclined, they will duct tape some shit to the armrest to hold their beverage; if not, they will drive with one hand. Make no mistake, that is a human issue and it needs to have human solutions.

Extremely unlikely. Since the throttle position sensor is nothing more than a potentiometer, it's always "partially short[ed] out." Potentiometers fail in the zero and infinite ohm positions, either of which would throw a fault in the ECM for the resistance being out of range.

Home electric car conversions require nothing of the sort, but most that build their own electric cars install them for safety. Just like those who build their own gasoline cars, everyone has their own kill switch. That doesn't mean the general public will use them with any greater frequency than they use the ignition switch to shut the engine off in an emergency.

On the contrary, I believe installing a large red mushroom operator in plain sight of the driver would induce a feeling of paranoia, to the point where they would hate to drive the car. IMHO, it would not be a positive selling point.

Perhaps they were turned off due to "maintenance," AKA manipulating supply in order to increase demand.

Wake up, Rip Van Winkle. It's not the 1970s anymore - while you were sleeping, innovation and technology has brought us advancements in wind and solar that are a far cry from what you remember.

See all these? Each marker represents a wind farm. Not necessarily a single wind turbine, but a group of turbines.

It's not a con. It's not a lie. This energy does work today, it may even power your computer so you can read Slashdot whether you realize it or not.

I'm really not that dense. But you do have options when it comes to road trips - gasoline rental cars. For the amount of money you would save by not buying gasoline the rest of the year, you would have more than enough to rent a gasoline car for a few days several times a year.

You would probably make the argument that the money you save by not buying gas would go towards the new electric car's monthly payment, in which case I would ask how you can justify buying a new gasoline car (making new gasoline car payments), and also buying gas.

How much would you save? I have no idea. Depends on how much you spend on gasoline now. But here's some worst-case scenario numbers for you:

To charge the Leaf, it takes: 120 volts * 15 amp draw (on a 20 amp circuit) = 1800W/h * 8 hour charge time = 14.4 kW/h. ...Assuming 12 cents per kW/h, that's $1.73 a day, * 30 days = $52 a month.

So, if you spend more than $52 per month on gasoline, and as I stated before, if you drive less than 100 miles per day in your commute, this car could work for you. If your electricity costs more, substitute in the proper amount and do the math.