> Why can't Tesla just have regular dealerships and let people buy them?
"Regular dealerships" are a horrendous waste of resources. It's a business structure that made sense 50 years ago and makes very little sense today. Tesla doesn't need regular dealerships, so you're asking why they shouldn't be forced to waste money buying land and buildings and hiring people that could all be doing something MORE useful, just in order to make their company look more like the rest of the industry they're trying to disrupt.
It's like asking "Why can't Apple just use Windows on its computers like everybody else does?" Or "Why can't Walmart just set up tiny little stores that sell a few things - why do they have to make these huge box stores that sell everything?"
As technology advances cars are more reliable, more consistent, and tend to require ever less ongoing maintenance and a lot of what they do still need is stuff like changing the oil (which you can do most quickly and conveniently at the nearest drive-through Jiffy-Lube place that specializes in this one service) or replacing the tires (which you can do most cheaply and conveniently at the nearest CostCo while you do other shopping there).
There's no particular reason why we should expect the best firm at selling cars would be the best firm at fixing them. If there's a market demand for a network of company-owned garages, companies will supply that. If there's a market demand for a way to try out the car first, companies will provide that service too. But there's no reason either of these needs to be legally tied into how you have to buy the car. Me, I'd like the option to buy my car just the way I'd buy a computer. Go to the manufacturer's site online, spec it out, make the purchase online, and have the car delivered to my door or someplace nearby that I can pick it up when it's ready.
"Regular dealerships" are a horrendous waste of resources. It's a business structure that made sense 50 years ago and makes very little sense today. Tesla doesn't need regular dealerships, so you're asking why they shouldn't be forced to waste money buying land and buildings and hiring people that could all be doing something MORE useful, just in order to make their company look more like the rest of the industry they're trying to disrupt.
It's like asking "Why can't Apple just use Windows on its computers like everybody else does?" Or "Why can't Walmart just set up tiny little stores that sell a few things - why do they have to make these huge box stores that sell everything?"