Siry, Eberhard, and Sexton aren’t discouraged. Tesla announced a deal with Hyatt Hotels earlier this year to install charging stations at three hotels in an arc from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe. A Tesla owner could drive from San Francisco to the lake without worrying about running out of electricity.

The Hyatt chose Tesla because, as Eberhard predicted, it wanted to attract the affluent driver likely to purchase the Roadster. “The kind of customer who would buy a Tesla and stay at a Hyatt is one and the same,” says Jordan Meisner, regional vice president for Hyatt. Tesla has also received a $560,000 grant from the California Air Resources Board to develop a public charging station. And Sexton points out that there are plans for charging stations in major cities. Besides, most people aren’t going to drive their electric cars across the country. They’re going to use them around town.

“These days, people have more faith in Silicon Valley than they do in Detroit,” Sexton says. “People are willing to take a chance on the Davids of the industry.”