By Anurag Maheshwary (October 19, 2017, 1:09 PM EDT) -- The period from 2016 to 2017 may one day be recognized as a key inflection point for electric vehicles. Electrified by a confluence of events, including stringent new emissions standards in the European Union and China,[1] plummeting battery costs, and competitive concerns, the previous 18 months have seen a broad industry and consumer shift towards fully electric vehicles (EVs, distinguished from hybrids and fuel-cell vehicles). Indeed, during this period, Tesla launched the Model 3, expected to be the world's first mass-market, long-range EV, quickly amassing more than 500,000 paid reservations, sight unseen;[2] GM began production of the Chevrolet Bolt, the world's first affordable, long-range EV;[3] many of the world's largest legacy automakers, after years of ridiculing the viability of EVs, belatedly announced plans to sell millions of EVs;[4] and startups Faraday Future, Fisker, Lucid, NIO, Rivian and Dyson — yes, vacuum cleaner maker Dyson — advanced plans to enter the market within two years.[5]...