Don't read any tone into all this. I'm just spitballing theories here. You might be realistic about timelines. I'm not sure why that should impact the worth of the technology that seems to be simple to make and yet delivers big results, but let's agree all aspects of the deal will take longer than seems to make sense.
Consider this angle. Sometime after Pearl Harbor, Ford switched car manufacturing plants to making B-24 bombers. THAT is a sea change, yet they managed to do it in what, 2 years? Thousands of BIG 4 engined bombers built of aluminum and a LOT more complicated than a car. They even designed the plant so that the planes made a right angle turn as they left the factory to avoid some interstate tax. The plant was right on the state border if I recall the story correctly. Air and space magazine had a story on it a couple of months ago.
I guess it depends on how serious the situation appears to be to some companies. Is it war? Sort of. Several OEMs are on the brink now. They really ought to throw out the book and the manager who used it, that brought them to this point.
