A Tesla Patent Afterthought

It was good news earlier this month, when Elon Musk announced considering making Tesla Motors’ Supercharger Patents public, to spur the development of electric cars. [Link]

In the last few weeks, there have been a lot of strong reactions to this announcement from different quarters. These have ranged from it being a publicity stunt, to skeptics saying that the sharing of patents ‘in good faith’ wouldn’t really guard a company using such patents from a probable lawsuit. And so on. Here are some perspectives [Link]

But here’s something that struck us as an afterthought. Between the well-entrenched petroleum companies, auto majors that have been instrumental in building the US economy over the decades, and auto dealers who are strongly opposed to Tesla Motors’ intention to sell directly to the customer, has given a new age company like Tesla more than its share of resistance.

So perhaps one of the most important reasons behind Elon Musk’s intention to make its Supercharger patents public, is to help Tesla gain some allies among new or existing businesses that use this technology, to help it ‘deal’ with the dealers and the resistance.

The Sky Ain’t the Limit

We are in a day and age where companies fiercely guard their trade secrets, patents and learnings; where individuals are busy trying to build their public image with glorified communication that is better at highlighting their names than the weight of their message. And where conference chatter is more about merely stating what is or was, or what everyone already knows, that about what could be.

In such a time, one of the true signs of a visionary company, is their inclination towards growing and taking the world forward too. Not just making money for themselves, but improving lives even when doing so doesn’t directly impact revenues. And they do this even as they set their eyes on the next big target for themselves.

Here’s an awe-inspiring piece about how Elon Musk is considering making public, its Tesla Motors’ Supercharger Patents to spur the development of electric cars. Sure, this might make Tesla’s proven charging stations configurations an industry standard, but it still is a bold step for a company that, with the likes of Google, is working on revolutionizing people’s lives.

For such forward-looking and global-change-focused companies, even the sky isn’t the limit for growth.

The article: Elon Musk May Give Away Its Tesla Supercharger Patents Free To Spur Electric Car Development