Electric cars used to be a joke – the ugly, expensive option for wealthy tree-huggers. But thanks to companies like Tesla, they are now sleek, desirable and increasingly affordable.

The fatal crash and vehicle fire of the Tesla Model X near Mountain View, California, last week involved two other cars. Tesla vehicles have a system called Autopilot that handles some driving tasks. The 38-year-old Tesla driver died at a nearby hospital shortly after the crash.

The first is that old vehicles may not sell for as much as expected given the increasing competition Tesla is facing in the electric vehicle space. Second, leases as a percentage of vehicles sold have fallen dramatically as it is not possible to lease a Model 3 sedan. While roughly 20 percent to 30 percent of Model S and Model Xs were leased, the Model 3 must be paid for in cash.

Tesla Inc. on Sunday said its global sales rose 69% in the first quarter, its best quarter of sales yet, putting the auto maker on a path to meet its goal of 50,000 deliveries in the first half of the year. The Silicon Valley electric-car maker said it delivered roughly 25,000 vehicles--about 13,450 Model S sedans and about 11,550 Model X sport-utility vehicles--in the quarter, compared with a total of 14,820 a year earlier.

Tesla has given the world a sneak peek at its newest car in the pipeline. The electric carmaker has had plenty of ups and downs this year. It's hoping its latest product will help get it over the hump. At Tesla's design center in Hawthorne, California, the company's newest vehicle made a grand entrance onto center stage. The standard Model Y will have a range of 300 miles, or 482 kilometers, eventually have self-driving features and will be priced from $39,000 up to $60,000 for the performance version.