Honestly if either the brand or charging were as big a deal as all that, I'd expect them to be doing better in Europe. The US seems to be the only remaining territory where they're the market leader, and they may be a bit stickier there, but it's not clear that EU sales of, say, the Zoe or id3 would be any different in the parallel universe where Tesla never existed. Those sell because they've hit a price/range point, and that's more due to the relentless slow progress of battery technology than anything else.
Not to say they're not a significant electric car manufacturer, but "coming third in the biggest western market, behind Renault, who apparently still exist" is not a great argument for them being either a market leader or having a particularly sticky brand.
You are correct about timings. What you are missing is
1) Adoption and perception. The public and mainstream media love 'EV Jesus' and his perceived dedication to 'the mission'.
2) User experience, in particular charging. Tesla still today has the biggest charger network and charging is a crucial remedy for range anxiety.