Tesla exec calls other automakers' EVs 'little more than appliances'

A Tesla executive dismissed competitors like the Nissan Leaf, Kia Soul EV, BMW i3 and Chevrolet Spark EV as "little more than appliances,” according to Automotive News.

“Now, appliances are useful. But they tend to be white. They tend to be unemotional," Diarmuid O’Connell, Tesla's vice president of business development, said Tuesday at CAR Management Briefing Seminars in Michigan. 

Specifically, O’Connell believes EVs from other brands don't offer enough range and cost too much.

Granted, O’Connell made similar comments last year, when he likened other mass-market EVs to 'compliance' cars built to meet regulations rather than affect a meaningful change in the marketplace. Although this is not a new attitude for O’Connell, this week's comments are nonetheless, as Dave Chappelle portraying Rick James would say, "cold blooded." Read more...