according to Ray Kurzweil (
Ray Kurzweil: A university for the coming singularity | Video on TED.com) we are only 16 years away from total energy needs being met from Solar Energy production.
'' ...there has been a smooth doubling of solar energy production every 2 years for the last 20 years and there only needs to be another 8 doublings for total energy demand to be satisfied...''
The 8 minute talk in the above link is very convincing (the solar energy prediction is at 5.40 onwards).
he also states elsewhere that the performance of batteries has been doubling exponentially and the costs have been falling according to a linear and predictable model... batteries will soon be half the weight, have twice the storage capacity and cost half as much (in 18 months time according to the prediction models).
So... according to that logic Tesla will most likely survive and prosper - and prob. be bought-out entirely by Daimler?
A lot of people here have been criticizing Tesla/Musk and predicting it's demise - but it's still here, making and selling cars and fighting back... it has it's 2012 models all lined up (all but one of those models is lotus developed).
Tesla seems to me to be right on the money, and one day people will look back and honor their vision - I will and do.