GM made an electric car in 1996 (the EV1). It even has a random cult following to this day. Tesla's original founders sort of re-jumpstarted the electric car with new branding but we've been making electric cars for a long time. Range, cost, and infrastructure is what held us back not competition. Now we have the infrastructure (which I will say is what Tesla has largely given us, and what should be the way forward for their business model). The Nissan Leaf was the best selling electric vehicle of all time when Tesla launched the roadster (that same year). The problem really is that most car companies are bad at marketing electric cars to this day. In 2012 Ford launched an all electric Ford Focus. Just about nobody knew about it.
He did not start the entire thing and I'm sick of hearing people say that. He took a company from other people and ran it into the ground both by hemorrhaging money and with poorer and poorer build quality and I am quite literally sick of his face.