Don't know diddly about Ecars, other than Tesla seems to have somehow jumped way ahead of the competition.
As far as solar, I don't know about the rest of the country, but I've had solar at the house for the last three years, and here in Phoenix, AZ, it saves me a ton of $$$.
I won't bore anyone with the math (plus I'd had to go and dig up the bills), but essentially from June to October, the electric company pays me to use electricity. Just for reference, the house is about 4000 sq. ft., three fridges, five flat screens, and two very large A/C units, plus your everyday appliances. Now, they aren't paying me much, but I'm running the A/C at a constant 75 degrees. In July. In Phoenix. OAT averages over 116 degrees F. Compared to the $400/mo. bills I used to get, I'm pretty sure I'm doing all right.
From the middle or end of Oct. to about the middle of Feb. I owe them about $100/mo., and the rest of the year the bill is pretty much ZERO. U.S.D.
Now, having said all of that, I also agree that the tech needs to improve, and the cost needs to come down drastically, but solar is not a fairy tale. At least not in the desert. In Illinois, it probably isn't so great. In Seattle, it would be a bad joke with current tech.
Peace.