Agreed that Tesla will do just fine. The original question is will the Model 3 be too late... and taking your question as a legitimate question, the answer is NO.
1) Tesla wants all the world's cars to run on something that's sustainable... and oil doesn't qualify. They have said many times they do not expect to effect this conversion all by themselves. If other car manufacturers are making BEVs, then that's great, and it doesn't matter to Tesla if they arrive before Model 3. (mass-market BEVs certainly won't be ahead of the Roadster, Model S or Model X will they?) If the question is, will Tesla survive as a player in a market of many other BEV choices, well, that is a deeper and more satisfying discussion. Answer IMO is most certainly yes, at least for several years. Assuming they put in more grab handles and cupholders
2) Tesla appears to have at its beck and call more battery manufacturing capacity than anyone else. Given the assumption that demand for BEVs will outstrip supply, Tesla are guaranteed a place in the market. General Motors' manufacturing capacity appears to show only 20,000 Bolts per year - that is puny! If Tesla has a Gigafactory, LG Chem+General Motors' Holland, Michigan should be called the
Biddyfactory by comparison. It simply isn't a competitor on sales.
3) Tesla does not contend with the issue of franchised dealer monopoly (a problem that exists only in the USA), and is not letting themselves be subject to the ******** that comes with that extra layer of hassle. For example, look at the terrible situation with Nissan's electric charging infrastructure at Nissan dealers - super-spotty consistency. Where some dealers are welcoming of other brands, other dealers actually lock their chargers behind the gates of the dealership when they're closed, or place them in awkward places on the dealership lot, or simply don't wire them up correctly so that they're inoperative. BMW's recently-announced "network" of chargers is also behind the locked gates of the dealership. If the dealership is closed in the evening, you can't use it. Porsche and other companies aren't gong to be any different... they're going to be selling their BEVs through franchised dealers who are going to finding any way they can to extra extra money from customers.
4) Tesla on the other hand, puts their charging network out on publicly-accessible locations that are approachable 24/7/365, sells to you directly and has zero required maintenance! That will stay very compelling for consumers, and, after the Model 3 debuts for $35,000 ($27,500 after USA's tax credit), the savings will actually add up to some serious dollars over the first 5 years. BMW claim their servicing is free, but of course, you pay for it all up front without any negotiation or flexibility, when you buy the car. At some time in the future there will be an even less expensive Tesla platform (whether Generation 4 is a cheaper car, a pickup or another roadster etc. is still up in the air). The savings in maintenance of Tesla cars are going to have a distinct effect on the industry and bring down the maintenance costs of other brands to compete. U.S. dealership profits will decline... they will fight like street cats and preserve it as a viable industry, but it won't be the fat-profit-center business it is today. (each dealership makes an average of one million dollars free and clear profit per year, I am sure you already know).
