[Perfectlap]

^ it will be that quick. Tesla decided to break from the herd and offer a different solution in packaging the batteries by skipping the large format li-ion packs that were so expensive in previous "green" cars and instead pack together thousands of small batteries much like in your gadgets and cellphones. If you're someone who has been buying these batteries over the years you've seen a real sea change in how cheap these batteries are now and how much better they are. For instance I carry eight 3,200 mAh aftermarket batteries for my Samsung phone in my laptop bag, I don't really plug the phone into the wall anymore, I have full use of the phone at all times by simply swapping in one of my spares whenever the battery gets down to 15%. Despite being able to last about a day or day and half, each of those 3,200 mAh spares are only the width of three credit cards. The manufacturers see plenty of demand and the intense competition for that business has driven down the costs to the point where each battery runs about $8 retail, probably $1-2 wholesale. That's cheaper than a pack of of double A Energizers that go right in the trash bin after they're spent. Tesla packaging the batteries this way was a genius move. They want to sell cars, not batteries. A task that will be made easier by being partnered with Panasonic.
And it's not just the Tesla Gigafactories, everything we use today will need more efficient and centralized battery production to drive down costs. For everything from iPad to iCar. Where there is a need there will be eager investors and excellent managers to re-think how the market demand is met just like Henry Ford did with his assembly line. Same thing WILL happen with batteries because there's simply too much darn money to make. If Musk pulls this off that will probably make him richer than anything he's done before. Meanwhile everyone else is asleep. Except maybe Porsche.