The argument is deeply flawed, but not because libertarianism is inconsistent. Reducing dependency on petroleum is a trillion dollar issue. Tesla has made som

The argument is deeply flawed, but not because libertarianism is inconsistent. Reducing dependency on petroleum is a trillion dollar issue. Tesla has made some major innovations in this area, including the multi-cell floorpan battery, and all the money they have spent buying batteries is used by suppliers to innovate on making them cheaper. Innovation only has to be done once, and right now every car company on the planet has Model S's on racks and are doing engineering tear downs. Tesla's engineering will probably pay dividends to the world in the amount of billions over the next 30 years. A few hundred million in state subsidies seems a small price to pay. From the article: > About the only way they can do this (barring some—currently remote—major battery technology improvements) is by cutting the vehicle’s range. It is completely lost on the author that one reason batteries get better (both directly and indirectly) is because Tesla builds cars.