The Nissan Leaf was just the start. Both Chevrolet and Tesla will launch their entry-level pure electric vehicles at around the same time as the next-gen Leaf. All three will be hitting the market by around 2017. The Chevy Bolt, for example, will officially begin production in October 2016, only 20 months from now. It's no coincidence that Chevy fast-tracked the Bolt's start date. The arrival of the Model E is going to be a big deal.

If it looks and drives anything like the current Model S, only priced for thousands less, then Tesla will no doubt have a major hit. Chevrolet and Nissan aren't about to let Tesla own the $30,000-$35,000 (after the tax break) entry-level EV market, hence the Bolt's expedited production. All three EVs will supposedly offer a 200-mile range and a host of other standard features designed to attract both younger and older buyers. The big question is, however, whether or not there are enough buyers in general interested in EV ownership. An answer to that isn't too far off.