VW can literally flip the switch and start producing more e-Golfs etc when the demand is there. No they can't. For one, the e-Golf is roughly competitive with

VW can literally flip the switch and start producing more e-Golfs etc when the demand is there. No they can't. For one, the e-Golf is roughly competitive with the Nissan Leaf but has nothing on the range/performance of a Tesla. VW have been faffing about trying to launch their new ID3 EV for ages (has that launched yet?). Building decent EVs is hard. If the efficiency is not there in the drivetrain, then the car is either too short range or too expensive. And you need to source batteries. Either gotta build your own huge factory, or squabble with all the other carmakers to source them from the same places as everyone else. Look at recent efforts by Audi and Porche to make 'tesla killers'. They are barely Tesla ticklers. Maybe they have one strong metric or whatever (track handling for the Porche, charging speed for the Audi) but they aren't really anywhere close in price/range/overall package terms. Here's a press relase from 2013, when VW declared they would lead the world on EVs by 2018. September 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Volkswagen Group has set its sights on global market leadership in electric mobility. "We are starting at exactly the right time. We are electrifying all vehicle classes, and therefore have everything we need to make the Volkswagen Group the top automaker in all respects, including electric mobility, by 2018", Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, said on the eve of the 65th International Motor Show in Frankfurt am Main. https://tass.com/press-releases/700457 https://tass.com/press-releases/700457