Why would someone choose the Model 3 over the Chevy Bolt? The Bolt is available now (at least on the West Coast) and has a 200+ mile range. Again, it comes down to these few but critically important differences for me.

Tesla is not a traditional auto manufacturer. They’re a sustainable energy and transportation company. Because they make cars, they may look like a traditional automaker on some levels: they have robots and factories, they design and make cars. But there are so many ways that Tesla has the edge over Chevy that you can’t just superficially compare the two. Yes, they both make cars, but does Chevy have…

  1. The ability to update vehicle software over the air without going into a dealership?

  2. An international network of fast charging stations to allow for long-distance travel?

  3. Hardware capability built into the cars right now to achieve Level 4 or 5 autonomous driving in the future?

Both companies need to sell cars to stay in business. Chevy wants to sell you more cars because that’s what they do: they’re a car company. Tesla wants to sell you electric cars because that’s their mission: sustainable transport (incidentally, it happens to be part of the greater plan of how humans will may yet survive themselves). Chevy’s doing things “the way they’ve always been done.” Tesla’s asking, “why?”