The needle moved on EVs in 2017, just not as much as anticipated. Tesla's inability to put thousands of Model 3's on the road didn't help, but 2010-2011 expectations that over 5% of the US auto market would be made up of electric-car sales were off the mark.
By a lot. After three consecutive years with US sales at or above 17 million, only 1% of those vehicles were either EVs or hybrids. And the bulk of the pure-EV sales came from Tesla and just two other vehicles: the Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Bolt.
We have appealing EVs in the market, but with well over a million units selling every month and that pace showing few signs of a sudden retreat, they just aren't attracting consumers.
Cost is a factor: Even though a $35,000 Tesla or Chevy sounds great, these are still fairly expensive by the $20,000-$25,000 standards of the entry-level market.
They also aren't big cars, and in the US, large pickups and SUVs have returned to popularity, especially with customers who have money to spend.
Finally, don't underestimate the behavioral changes that EVs demand: If you drive regularly, you need to charge at least every few days. This far, only Tesla has established a widespread fast-charging infrastructure. Other automakers have been reluctant to follow on their own as the move would be initially rather costly.