[lfsh]

"Tesla was the only EV that was somewhat affordable"

I don't think this is true. For example the Nissan Leaf has always been more affordable. But the range of the first Leaf models was very low. Tesla was the first EV company that offered a range comparible to ICE cars.

[ben_w]

Hard to tease the two apart.

When Tesla was new, EV range was inherently expensive, the original Leaf was only able to be affordable because the battery was small.

Now, batteries are so cheap this is no longer a trade-off; also why new Leaf models are longer range.