Wow, thanks for the deeply thought out reply amicableskeptic.
No 'trolling' was ever intended!
I find the Model S, Tesla, Musk, and the philosophy behind them all quite interesting and marveling.
As background, I've spent a decade in the automotive industry (Southeast MI, #whatyagonnado) and am certified by Wayne State in Alternative Energy Technology. I'm also working towards early retirement and follow most of the ideals on this site. I also like to bike, homebrew, and geocache (unrelated :)).
I agree that batteries (in EVs) as part of a 'smart grid' is absolutely necessary as we move towards an all EV world!
As of right now, in most average city or suburban blocks, if every owner had an EV (or even 50%) the current grid would NOT be able to keep up with that power demand. A smart grid needs a lot (no, like a lot a lot) of money and research. And many industries and agencies need to be involved. Someone needs to push this advancement along, however. Hopefully someone (Tesla, government, GM) can do that. I fully support the technology, philosophy, and environmental impact behind EVs)
My reservations or questions regarding Tesla (and Musk) are more related to his 'unorthodox' approach to running a car company.
The American (and Japanese and German) car companies have been running with dealer networks and old school marketing for 100 years. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't! But I can say it isn't easy. Automotive is one of the top most regulated industries in the world (aviation wins). The liability is high and the profit margins are thin. The supply base is well established and some of the leaders in manufacturing. It's a big big world to shake up.
Musk is running Tesla like a tech startup (which it is, kinda, eh?). No dealer network, press releases every week, fancy-goofy finance plans. I'm not saying one way or the other is the right way! I'm excited to see what the car world is going to look like in 15 years.
(and I'm taking my EV and Hybrid continuing education either way!)