The Model S is today's Deusenberg in terms of practical use and demographic. Let's see how well he does making a Model T.
Comparing the arrival of the modern electric car to the arrival of the gasoline car is asinine. At the time the gas car hit the scene, it was up against the electric car, which already had a fuel distribution and technical support network in place, and the steam car, which already had a fuel distribution and technical support network in place.
The performance, range, and ease of refueling of the gas engine was so significant, that despite the risk of losing an arm to starting it, the need to drain the oil and sit it by the fire to keep it from freezing during the winter, and other incredible challenges, it completely silenced the steam car for all time, and made the electric car into a toy for quirks.
Fast forward more than 100 years, and not much has changed, as development of the ICE has continued to keep the gap pretty wide with regards to its convenience vs. The electric car.
That these cars have been well-liked as an addition to a multi-car garage says little. Very few cars have managed to offend that set. 10,000 mile clutch changes costing $13,000 don't offend that set. These are the same people who fought tooth and nail to keep their EV-1 cars, and we all know how good those cars weren't.
The Model 3 is going to be the real tell-all. If it fails to go beyond the boutique and achieve mass-market acceptance, a lot of questions are going to start being asked and it will be a bad time to be short on answers.
