Tesla has taken the bold decision to ditch its range of technology patents, as part of the Californian manufacturer’s commitment to accelerate the use of electric vehicles.
“Tesla will not initiate patent lawsuits against anybody who, in good faith, wants to use our technology,” explained CEO Elon Musk in a blog on the company website. 
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Having removed these barriers – up until yesterday Tesla’s patents were on display at its Palo Alto headquarters – Musk hopes much more people will be able to delight in the benefits of EVs, as much more producers commit to advancing the platform.
The South Africa-born entrepreneur also believes the relocation underlines Tesla’s original mission statement.
“If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner as opposed to that goal.”
Tesla’s decision to do away with patents may strike some as an unconventional company model at a time when companies work hard to guard their secrets, but in Musk’s opinion these legal safeguards merely serve to “stifle progress”.
He went on to add that an initial “concern that the big car companies would copy [Tesla’s technology] couldn’t have been much more wrong.” It’s mostly this realisation that has led to the new unwinded stance, with Musk hoping major producers will now expand their “small to non-existent” electric car programmes.
Despite the move, Tesla doesn’t expect its own company to suffer – aside from the positive publicity, Musk is confident it will help the company “attract and motivate the world’s many talented engineers.”
Indeed, this new method comes as Tesla looks to expand its European operations, a plan that includes building a network of ‘Supercharger’ fast-charging power units across the UK by the end of 2015, as well as establishing a British-based R&D centre.