On 19 Dec 2022 at 20:44, Peri Hartman via EV wrote: > If Elon hadn't started the EV mass production revolution, some one else > surely would have. But it might have been several years later and might > have been to weak the first time around to not be squashed by the ICE > industry.
"Someone else" was already advancing the production EV movement by the time the model S arrived. The Mitsubishi Imiev and Nissan Leaf were ahead of it, and IIRC the Renault Zoe (not offered in the US) launched at around the same time. Tesla certainly had some innovations that those EVs didn't have. Some were substantial, but many were just luxury gadgets. Tesla's primary "innovation" was making an EV that appealed to rich folks, especially celebrity greens awash in excess cash. Those gadgets and gimmicks were part of the appeal. That was easy for Musk to push, because he was already then such an obscenely rich person. To this day, Teslas are based not on what research shows the average driver needs, but on what appeals to Elon Musk. If you don't like what he likes, tough luck. That's why I think that despite strong (but declining) Tesla sales, Renault, Stellantis, and VW will eventually clean Tesla's clock in Europe. They actually build EVs for normal people - and normal, middle-income Europoeans are buying them. And despite what all y'all may think, I'm still convinced that the future success of EVs is mostly in the EU and China, not here in the US. David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = A good question is never answered. It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to be planted and to bear more seed toward the hope of greening the landscape of ideas. -- John Ciardi = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ Address messages to [email protected] No other addresses in TO and CC fields HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/
