Nissan has reached a much
Nissan has reached a much more important milestone, not yet reached by any other EV manufacturer with any notable volumes. They are on black, making profit out of their EVs, including having paid off the initial investment into developing the Leaf. This is The Measurement of viability of the EV.
I agree that Tesla S is pretty massive achievement and way ahead of anything else on the market, as they took multiple leaps in one go, with a goal of making best car on the market. Well, maybe a few improvements are still needed, the S back door entry is cramped and road noise penetrates more than best cars on the market.
The Leaf is an example how a major car company can take a more traditional approach by using existing knowledge, putting in a well-designed electric drivetrain and throwing in their best gadgetry. Obviously Nissan's gadgetry bin did not include 17 inch touchscreen, so it looks plain and basic compared to S. The nav and other stuff came from the same parts bin as their gasoline cars. That was the compromise they had to make to include A(ffordable) into their car, combined with P(rofit). For anyone comparing to a gasoline car in same category, Leaf is still an improvement in any other respect than range and price (without subsidy).
Now, the next fight likely will be affordable range, as otherwise the cars will be somewhat similar. My bet is that Tesla will not be alone with 200+ mile range when model III comes out in 2016 or whatever they promise. That will the challenge for Tesla.
Nissan leads in volume, and are already in the second generation of Leaf, and make profit. To me, Nissan's strategy has been pretty spot-on for what they wanted to achieve.
Tesla's best car, not just best EV is the only strategy they can actually be successful with. Being just good car, prefect EV is enough enough. Just replacing the drivetrain is something a traditional car company can do too easily, and then crush the competitors simply by their massive loyal customer base and volume, so being average on other than EV bits is not viable option. There are large mass of people who are brand-loyal and will buy EV when VW, Volvo, or Mercedes comes to the market with their version. VW e-Golf and e-Up seem to grab good shares almost immediately they start sales in a market, for example.
Tesla has to keep ahead in more than just drivetrain, and the further they get into that territory, the more even the playing ground will be. They still have the advantage of not gragging a great history and board full of stiff old people who think they know how cars have always been made and so they will be made in future.