Photo: Duncan Rawlinson on Flickr
The battle for the EV segment supremacy is starting to look more and more interesting, especially now that Tesla intends to enter the budget sector (if we can call a $35,000 car that) with the upcoming Model 3.
Elon Musk has managed to keep the March 31 shrouded in mystery until now, but one way or the other, that's when he's going to lift the veil off the model that's set to bring Tesla volumes for the first time. Not much is known about the Model 3, but EV-fanatics are expecting it like another type of fanatics would the Second Coming.
The fact that so many people are willing to pay for something they haven't even seen yet tells something about the cult following that Tesla Motors has built for itself. The company has only really had three models, and the third is so new, not that many of them have actually reached their owners. And yet, despite not having any sort of automotive background, it's managed to become the benchmark in the expanding world of EVs.
That's become even more obvious thanks to a poll conducted by Clean Technica that asked: "which model of electric vehicle(s) are you most likely to buy?" With multiple answers allowed, the chart showed an overwhelming victory for the Tesla Model 3, followed at more than 20 percent by the second-generation Nissan Leaf.
The yet-to-be-launched Model 3 was chosen by 55.28 percent of the respondents, while the closest rival, the 2nd-Gen Nissan Leaf could only gather 32.75 percent of the options. Third came another Tesla product, the Model S, which was the choice of 20.20 percent of EV fans. Chevrolet Volt (also 2nd Gen) scored an honorable fourth place with 17.96 percent, while fifth was the third Tesla, the Model X, with 17.37 percent.
Chevy Bolt was close behind Tesla's electric SUV with 17.29 percent, and in seventh place came the first European car, the Volkswagen e-Golf with just 9.39 percent. BMW i3, 1st-Gen Nissan Leaf, Kia Soul EV or Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid also featured in the chart, but they had poor results.
So, there you have it, a host of electric vehicles from established manufacturers beaten by a car that doesn't yet exist and that we know nothing about, coming from a company with a little over a decade of experience. Whoever said that the electric motor would revolutionize the automotive industry had no idea how right he was going to be.
The fact that so many people are willing to pay for something they haven't even seen yet tells something about the cult following that Tesla Motors has built for itself. The company has only really had three models, and the third is so new, not that many of them have actually reached their owners. And yet, despite not having any sort of automotive background, it's managed to become the benchmark in the expanding world of EVs.
That's become even more obvious thanks to a poll conducted by Clean Technica that asked: "which model of electric vehicle(s) are you most likely to buy?" With multiple answers allowed, the chart showed an overwhelming victory for the Tesla Model 3, followed at more than 20 percent by the second-generation Nissan Leaf.
The yet-to-be-launched Model 3 was chosen by 55.28 percent of the respondents, while the closest rival, the 2nd-Gen Nissan Leaf could only gather 32.75 percent of the options. Third came another Tesla product, the Model S, which was the choice of 20.20 percent of EV fans. Chevrolet Volt (also 2nd Gen) scored an honorable fourth place with 17.96 percent, while fifth was the third Tesla, the Model X, with 17.37 percent.
Chevy Bolt was close behind Tesla's electric SUV with 17.29 percent, and in seventh place came the first European car, the Volkswagen e-Golf with just 9.39 percent. BMW i3, 1st-Gen Nissan Leaf, Kia Soul EV or Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid also featured in the chart, but they had poor results.
So, there you have it, a host of electric vehicles from established manufacturers beaten by a car that doesn't yet exist and that we know nothing about, coming from a company with a little over a decade of experience. Whoever said that the electric motor would revolutionize the automotive industry had no idea how right he was going to be.
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