Plug-in vehicles, both battery-electric and plug-in hybrid cars, now represent slightly more than 1 percent of U.S. new-vehicle sales.

That number is expected to rise steadily in future years, but cars with plugs will remain a rarity in many areas of the country for some time to come.

Readers and followers of this site are presumed to have a somewhat higher-than-average interest in electric cars, however.

DON'T MISS: Which electric car is your favorite? Twitter poll results

That led us to wonder about the planned purchase behavior of our followers vis-a-vis electric cars.

Our latest Twitter poll is very simple: It simply asks when participants expect to buy their first battery-electric car.

Note that this explicitly omits plug-in hybrids, and deals only with vehicles running exclusively on batteries that have zero tailpipe emissions.

The first option, "Got one already," was obvious, since the comments on our articles are filled with real-world experiences and anecdotes from electric-car owners who use them every day.

But it took us some time to break down the timing for the three other options.

In the end, we chose to offer choices that boiled down to "within one or two years," followed by "within three or four years."

READ THIS: What will get more people to consider electric cars? Twitter poll results

That takes us to the end of 2021, by which time there are likely to be up to a dozen battery-electric vehicles on the market offering 200-plus miles of rated range at prices below $40,000.

The first of those, of course, was the 2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV that went on sale in California in December 2016.

It will be followed by a longer-range 2019 version of the second-generation Nissan Leaf late this year.

2018 Nissan Leaf with EVgo fast charger at NJ Turnpike Molly Pitcher travel plaza, Feb 2018

2018 Nissan Leaf with EVgo fast charger at NJ Turnpike Molly Pitcher travel plaza, Feb 2018

The base Tesla Model 3 with 220 miles of range may also start deliveries before the end of this year, although that date has already been delayed once and now seems somewhat fluid.

Further mass-market battery-electric vehicles will be launched by General Motors, Hyundai, Kia, and likely other makers as well before the end of 2019.

CHECK OUT: What if car buyers aren't ready for electric cars, even in California?

The sales, however, will likely continue to be concentrated in California, the Pacific Northwest, and Northeastern states that offer a mix of incentives and public/private efforts to build comprehensive DC fast-charging infrastructure for long-distance travel.

As always, please note that our Twitter polls are far from scientifically valid, due to small sample size and self-selection by those who choose to participate.