I'm not sure offhand how well this will work, but it is good to see real innovation in car engines, in a time when most manufacturers seem content to punch out the same stuff with a few percent more efficiency.
Anyway, I really hope every car manufacturer out there has CAD drawings and plans ready for the moment we get a breakthrough in battery technology. Teslas are nice, but the batteries are holding them back. Once they get good batteries, though, they will walk over every other kind of car. The BMW i3 is sad but it's the closest competitor.
Your remark about the i3 is due to its range? Otherwise it is a good car. Tesla's products are very attractive partly because of Tesla's commitment to supercharger networks (which are no cost to use) and other recharging infrastructure. BMW's story seems weak by comparison but their EVs are good so far.
I already have a Nissan Leaf. But if I were to have never owned an electric car and were to go buy one today, it'd be a Leaf or a Tesla. Why? Because I've already bought a lifetime of half-assed, soon-to-be-unsupported tech. Those items were typically less than $1000 (though I've purchased some duds that were more pricey). If I'm dropping $30K or more, it's for damned sure going to be from a company that I'm confident is in it for the long haul (and not, as you say, making an "eco-statement"). Right now Nissan and Tesla are the only ones that have convinced me that they fit that requirement.