I agree. The improvements in battery tech from one generation to another is significant, in that it can be lifestyle-changing. Range anxiety can be a real and frustrating issue to deal with.
I helped a friend go a different approach for an EV-as-a-commuter/second car option: Buy used, and the price drop from a lot of off-lease vehicles can be significant (e.g. Fiat 500e, Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt, Mitsubishi i-Miev, BMW i3, etc).
Some back-of-the-napkin math using a Nissan Leaf as an example:
- 2017 lease: $229/month for 36 months + $2,000 at signing = $10,244 + taxes + etc
- 2014 off-lease purchase with ~32K miles: $8,500-$11,000 using Kelly Blue Book / Private Party valuation
Some areas even give additional incentives, even to pre-owned buyers (e.g. $500 PG&E Clean Fuel Rebate), and older EVs may still have the Clean Air Vehicle (CAV) sticker that may eventually phase out in January 2019 in California.
If you're patient and do your research, you might find a very good deal that may work to your advantage. My friend ended up getting a 2013 Fiat 500e with 27,000 miles for $6400 after taxes and rebates. Decent commuter vehicle, and the owner gets to enjoy company-provided charge stations (so effectively "free miles" while employed).