this post was submitted on 14 Mar 2025
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Tesla was a long way ahead of the competition for a very long time, to the point where they were the only option for a vehicle that was genuinely a replacement for a combustion vehicle.
Without them, I very much doubt EV market share would be anywhere near what it is today.
I'm not sure how it even managed to get so big when the EV1 was so beloved but supposedly killed by the automotive industry.
The EV1 was too far ahead of its time. The tech wasn’t there and to even accomplish what they did cost far more than they could hope to sell it for. An estimate that each EV1 cost GM around $100k to make in the early 90’s (so around $200k in today’s dollars).
Battery tech has progressed massively since then and makes all of this possible now (even if it’s still expensive).
Don't know about that. Leaf has been pretty important as well.
It has been, but the leaf was very much a "second car" for a very long time. They had relatively short range, an air cooled battery, and as a result couldn't be charged particularly fast. The battery would also overheat if you tried to charge it multiple times.
Tesla, on the water, had a water cooled battery pack, and could be fast charged multiple times per day, and much faster than other vehicles, meaning a road trip was actually possible.
The Leaf was cheap. It introduced many to EVs. They are super common third or fourth hand now. It was aimed at the other end of the market than the Tesla.
Even now, the Leaf only goes 200 miles. Less than a 2018 Model 3. Not good enough.
I agree, Tesla was the viable option fora long time. The charging network is part of that even still.
The NACS connector is a big deal.
Range is important, but so is cost. Teslas are too expensive for Leaf owners.
My 7 seat EV only does at most 150 miles. But even now, two years later, there isn't anything else that comfortably fits 7 adults. Let alone not over twice the price. So 200 miles seams ok to me.
I agree standard charger connectors are important. But CHAdeMO is standard, just not in Europe or North America. Can't blame the Leaf for not knowing that would happen.
The Leaf is also one of the very few cars, least in the UK, which can be using bidirectionally. https://www.indra.co.uk/v2g/
I don't own a Leaf, but I respect what they did. You see loads of them here.
Leaf's tech was a joke for a long time.
Yes, because it was cheap.