How do we inspire pilots to truly take up cross country soaring ?

On Friday, 28 August 2015 14:22:59 UTC+2, wrote:
FES, at this time, is limited to what I would call high end, new single seat aircraft. These are not the machines that new pilots will be flying cross country. It will take a very long time before these ships trickle down to the group of pilots that we have been discussing.
UH

I'd love to purchase a FES equipped glider but I'm afraid these gliders are very unlikely to trickle down to the "affordable first ship for new pilots" category since battery packs have a limited lifespan and cost a significant amount of money to replace.
I can't see FES gliders dropping to the $10000 (G102, ASW-15) to $20000 (ASW-20, Ventus B) range any time soon which is the price range most first time owners are willing to pay in my part of the woods.