The loan was subsidized; commercial entities wouldn't give such a loan, hence even when repaid was a cost to the public. The idea, of course, is that this cost

The loan was subsidized; commercial entities wouldn't give such a loan, hence even when repaid was a cost to the public. The idea, of course, is that this cost is paying by public good, but Tesla mis-stated the truth, and didn't grant back the public good it was supposed to.