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So for starters they arent theoretical. We have had about 20 fully operating breeder reactors. They have all successfully produced surplus fuel, and they all have generated surplus power for energy generation.
They are also considered Generation 3 tech right now.. so they are past expertimental, protype, which was their status in the 70,s and through three whole generations of improvements. They are fully functional and currently in use in several places as power plants, no issues.
As for the USa sentiment on nuclear.. I do agree it gets a worst rap than it deserves, that is unfortunate,. You are right we are likely to see expansion of other renewable sources like wind or solar rather than investment in nuclear, sad as this is. However lets not detract from the original discussion which was electric cars. Nuclear is still 25% of power generation in the USA, so it is quite significant and no matter how you slice it is renewable energy and should we rely on nuclear energy we can always create more.
By the way side note, it wouldnt really help us WRT turning nuclear waste to fuel. If you arent consuming the fuel it isnt going to be any better than the waste, so you still need to invest in nuclear for that to make sense. However breeder reactors CAN be used as burners. Where they basically convert weapons grade plutonium (plutonium is not usually suitable for reactors) into reactor fuel. This is in fact what one breeder reactor is used for, disposing of nuclear weapons and turning it into energy grid power.
