Prius proves my point. It ain’t electric (and therefore it’s only a marginal improvement, not one with the potential for utter decarbonization...), but it has everything needed. It proves that traditional automakers could be making EVs left and right, but they aren’t. Oh, and Toyota isn’t US.

Seriously, put a bigger battery in an old Prius, add a charger, and hack the firmware to keep the engine off (and enable higher speed electric), and you have a full EV at even highway speeds. So why didn’t they do it but Tesla has? It’s amazing how much crap Tesla gets even though they’re the only ones with the guts to go full electric (and thus potentially zero emissions... already better than Priuses without being, you know, Priuses).

> Seriously, put a bigger battery in an old Prius, add a charger, and hack the firmware to keep the engine off (and enable higher speed electric), and you have a full EV at even highway speeds. So why didn’t they do it but Tesla has?

Because fanboys don't buy vehicles if somebody else sells it, just look at Chevy bolt. They need the futuristic hype of full self driving and the patented saving the planet. And also, Tesla can afford selling at a loss, nobody else can.

I drive an EV not made by Tesla. GM barely markets the Bolt/Volt (which are great cars) at all, mostly just trying to reach other EV buyers. GM also lobbies against any fuel economy standards.

But suppose you’re right, that the only way Tesla has been able to sell so many EVs is by fanboyism, by Musk’s hype machine. But that then deserves your praise not derision, as Musk has been able to make EVs cool to the masses. If EVs must be hyped to gain traction, and Musk successfully hyped them, then Musk deserves the credit even more.

For that yes he does deserve praise.

For lies about self driving, for horrible working conditions, for the endless stupid statements about v automation/ai in general, and for causing an obnoxious fan base, there is criticism.

Just because Tesla made cars cool doesn't mean they get to create the narrative that no one else wants to make electric cars

> Just because Tesla made cars cool doesn't mean they get to create the narrative that no one else wants to make electric cars.

Tesla isn't creating that narrative, their competitors are. None of the major US car makers really do want to make electric cars, that's just a fact. And few others do, with the exception of maybe BMW, chinese firms, and nissan, but even there you have slow-rolled updating to EV. Porsche is serious about it, but also are not trying to make a mass market anything.

My point was that making EV vehicles that aren't susbstandard in their features (interior materials) and sell at a good price wasn't profitable. Batteries+Motors were too costly. Tesla managed as their fanboys would buy costly cars of substandard quality.

Now you'll see that dozens of electric cars will roll out in 2018-2022. But you'll come out and tell me that Tesla showed these guys that electric cars were possible.

Ever wonder why Nissan leaf always had a small range and wasn't "fun" to drive? because batteries and motors are costly.

Keeping them unfashionable

The problem is usually the smug owners.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFn1WEaYY3A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIjnmVkzOM4

And Telsa, whilst more innovate than a Prius seems to have created latest generation of smugness (at least it seems that way on Twitter and their new model 3).

If a reputation for asshole owners was a problem, how would BMW still be in business?

Rich, cocky assholes. Not smug weenie assholes. People defer to the former.