[worldsayshi]

I much agree that the best should build the infrastructure and they should be allowed to profit from their investment.

The problematic part is if they choose to shut out other players without any better reason than wanting to dominate the market.

Free markets aren't infallible and they can quickly become unfree when moats have been established. (Amazon feels like the obvious example of that. Competing with them is close to impossible.)

[908B64B197]

Apple stores are by far the most profitable retail locations per square footage. Yet you don't see them selling Dell computers.

You aren't just buying a car with Tesla, you are buying an ecosystem that just works.

Legacy automakers had almost a century to create this network. And look at the current reputation and state of their dealership network.

[theshrike79]

> You aren't just buying a car with Tesla, you are buying an ecosystem that just works.

This is the key.

You can just punch in a destination in a Tesla, it'll map out the correct route with chargers. Other cars can usually do this too.

The car will pre-heat the battery for optimal charging temperature before arriving at the charging location. Not all EVs do this, they should. Cold-gating during charging is a big deal when traveling long distances in below freezing temperatures.

A Tesla can also check if there are free spots in the charger. No other car does this as far as I know.

[worldsayshi]

Having Apple stores in every big city doesn't represent a considerable moat for Apple. If you had to go to a computer store every couple of hours to be able to use a computer then your analogy would be more applicable. Apple stores are not infrastructure components. If you own infrastructure you have some responsibility to share it.

[ehvatum]

> If you own infrastructure you have some responsibility to share it.

Inasmuch as GM had responsibility to help build Tesla’s supercharger network, I agree.

[908B64B197]

Legacy car makers have an extensive network of dealerships they can leverage to build their charging infrastructure.

The fact that an SV startup managed to build itself what might be considered a moat by some regulators in a few years while being laughed at by the legacy carmakers is very ironic.