...Tesla’s Battery Roadblocks...
Thanks for reminding that battery is a possible monkey wrench thrown in the works,
Gloom and doom about battery future has been around from the inception, so this is not a new concern.
Your concern about the high cost of battery is very appreciated and that's why Gigafactory 1 is born.
Musk tweeted last year:
"
Model 3, our smaller and lower cost sedan will start production in about 2 years. Fully operational Gigafactory needed."
There's no evidence that Tesla is "pushing its Powerwall storage system hard"
There's no owners complained that PowerWall sales calls constantly to their home.
There's no TV ads of PowerWall saturated in the air.
There's no owners' reports that Tesla Stores have been giving sales pitch on PowerWall, even in recent social events.
Currently, Tesla has a problem of too much demand which is a good problem to have. Thus, there's no need to "push hard."
You seem to think Gigafactory might have problems of obtaining raw materials, thus it won't be able to meet huge demand.
Again, more demands than what you can supply has been a theme in Tesla. So this is nothing new.
Tesla's partner Panasonic has been in the business a long time so it is not new with raw materials problem. It wouldn't spend money in Gigafactory if it cannot see how the plant would work.
It is true that if Gigafactory doesn't work out, then as Musk tweeted, lower cost sedan won't be possible.
It is good to learn how difficult to run a Gigafactory, how to tough get its raw materials and so on.
But to predict its failure because of difficulties is quite premature.
Pessimists, please take your number and get in line at the "Tesla Death Watch."