Tesla Motors has just stunned the carmaking world by taking 325,000 orders for its new Model 3 affordable electric vehicle within days of unveiling the prototype at its Los Angeles design studio. That is certainly an impressive performance — especially from a carmaker that has sold only 100,000 cars in its entire 13-year history.

But, aside from demonstrating the interest that exists in Tesla’s undeniably glamorous electric vehicle technology, what precisely has the US company’s hard driving chief executive, Elon Musk, achieved?

Let’s start with what he hasn’t done, which is to strike a very firm contract with those interested parties. A glance at Tesla’s website shows the relatively loose commitment they have entered into: paying a $1,000 upfront deposit to guarantee a slot on a waiting list. But this is not binding, and can be cancelled if the would-be customer desires.