Tesla's electric cars continue to fascinate. Their silent, yet jaw-dropping, acceleration is already legendary and the interest surrounding the company's new, more affordable, Model 3 highlights how the excitement surrounding the company shows no sign of diminishing.

Yet the question of how the world will change once electric car sales really start to take off has receives surprisingly little interest.



When Tesla accepted reservations for its new Model 3, which has a starting price of $35,000, the car maker was swamped by people eager to put down $1,000 as a deposit. Within just a few weeks, 400,000 enthusiasts had ordered a car they hadn't even seen in the flesh, let alone driven. Delivery is also still some way off, expected to start in 2018. While any reservation is non-binding, the interest in the new Tesla sends a powerful signal to the car industry. People are ready to switch from fossil fuel to electric and/or plug-in hybrid once the right car comes along.

