Originally Posted by AndyMEng
While I'm enjoying your arguments, the following should be considered:
1. Yes, Tesla fronted millions and millions of customer's dollars to install the charging network. Otherwise, none of this would have worked and we wouldn't be having this conversation at all. So thank you Tesla. Now that we have more uptake, the rest will follow. Supercharges do not yet have pay-for-play capability. Their cars deal directly with the charge ports. Other chargers have pay stations/membership FOB readers, etc. Maybe one day this will be a thing. For now, Tesla isn't going to give free power to competitors.
2. Previously, the Nissan Leaf had a puny range that was embarrassing next to a Tesla (like, 5 years ago). A friend of mine used to joke that the free chargers at Ikea (which used to be the only 'charging network') are taken up by Leaf owners, because you needed to charge up just to be able to get home (therefore seeing them on a road trip, 60km at a time, is sad and slow). Tesla owners would park in the EV parking spot at Ikea and not even bother to plug in, because the spot was beside the door.
3. Thanks to Tesla, EV sales are being boosted, and about to hit the roof. You have several car manufacturer's committed to completely transforming their sales to EV within 5 years. This is an insane growth. Thank you Tesla.
4. The dinky, 4 spot 'charging station' at On-Routes, (or off the beaten path as per Tesla Superchargers) are not going to matter at all soon. With thousands of EV's on the road, the charging stations will be much, much, much larger, faster, and more efficient, and more centrally located. There are more orders for Tesla Model 3's than Mazda 3 sales in North America last year. Imagine in a few years what that'll look like.
5. Private sector charge stations are about to blow up. Gas stations have been playing chicken with eachother, not willing to put charge stations on their property, in order to continue the myth that EV range anxiety is still a thing. Once they start losing a lot of business, they'll either go belly up, or change with the times. Shell has started to roll out their fast charge network, putting stations on their lots.
6. Expecting the government to provide charging is ridiculous. People complain about networks in the north not being adequate. This is a private sector, market-driven problem. Tesla has given the boost needed to light the spark, pun intended. (which, by the way, was their vision and goal all along... Elon wasn't looking to build the #1 valued car company in the world, he wanted to force uptake of EV's). Expect Sun Country or Electric Circuit to produce gas-station type locations VERY soon.
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