I agree with you. I think if we're trying to pick who is right and who is wrong and who is wrong but in a useful way, Gates is right short term, and the technology (including economic viability of technology) is unavailable to prove him wrong. By not relying on future advances he may help inspire alternative approaches. If Musk is right it isn't because he's already right it's because he's banking on future advances. So I put Gates between right and wrong but in a useful way and put Musk between potentially right but not usefully so and wrong and in a potentially harmful way (by discouraging alternate views). So I think Gates is correct in the short term, but he could be wrong were the technology to advance to a point where it's no more burdensome to use electric than diesel or gas.