I'm not sure about the article's premise. Has Tesla really changed the public's perception of EVs? Is Tesla now the "smoking hot brand" in electric cars?
Among some segment of the population, yes. Among readers of AutoblogGreen, for sure. A fair number of gearheads have got the message, and a fair number of well-read people interested in green transportation issues have got the message, and I daresay even many people in the automotive industry (including bigwigs at GM and Toyota) have got the message.
Among the general public, though. . . . . The goofy-looking, 100% gasoline-powered, half-assed "hybrid" Prius is still all they know. That and golf carts.
If you ask most people about an electric car, the first company that comes to mind is going to be Toyota, and the second will be Honda -- the latter being particularly ironic, since Honda has pooh-poohed the whole idea of EVs and struggled to even come up with a quasi-hybrid car competitive against the Prius.