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by dougmwne 2084 days ago
I get that Elon is controversial and puts a lot of bull out there. And yet, without him, electric cars would still be in their infancy and rockets would not be landing themselves. These technologies do not develop themselves and market niches do not magically get filled. Many things happen in the world because a single wealthy person wants them to happen. My recommendation is not put too much stock in the future promises, but don't diminish the actual accomplishments, which are impressive by themselves. I think there are personal lessons to be gained too, about the power of picking a stretch goal that you know is within your means to achieve, then dedicating yourself to achieving it. Being an egomaniac is no requirement and probably holds him back. We may not be working on the billionaire problem space, but our own goals can be equally lofty.
1 comments
rsynnott 2084 days ago
> And yet, without him, electric cars would still be in their infancy and rockets would not be landing themselves

This seems... dubious? The chronology is: Smart EQ: 2007 (in tiny numbers; niche non-mass-market product)

Tesla Roadster: 2008 (in tiny numbers; niche non-mass-market product)

Nissan Leaf: 2010

Renault Zoe: 2012

Tesla Model S: 2012

The Leaf was a big seller, and the Zoe outsells Tesla's entire line-up in Europe.

I think it would be fair to say that Tesla really sold the idea of a _performance_ electric car, but not electric cars as a whole.

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gamblor956 2084 days ago
Mitsubishi's iMiev (2009) was the first EV to sell more than 10,000 units.

Toyota RAV4 EV was released in 2003 though it was only available for lease (leasors could buy the vehicle at the end of the lease). Indeed, the RAV4 EV 2nd Generation is the reason Tesla exists as a going concern today; without Toyota's cash infusion, Tesla would just be another Faraday Motors in car history.

Ford released an EV truck in 1998.

And the US granddaddy of them all (excluding vehicles only available to fleets) is the GM EV1, released back in 1996.

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rsynnott 2084 days ago
> Mitsubishi's iMiev (2009) was the first EV to sell more than 10,000 units.

Wow, hadn't realized that one sold that well; I had it filed in my head with the Smart EQ. I'd consider all the others on that list niche impractical devices, though. So the first practical one was probably the iMiev, not the Leaf, then.

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kanox 2084 days ago
> And the US granddaddy of them all (excluding vehicles only available to fleets) is the GM EV1, released back in 1996.

Yes, GM deserves much more credit for the EV revolution than Tesla.

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