If some gas stations offered free fuel I bet we would see similar line ups. Those guys have the option to go to another charging station and pay for the charge, no?
Yes, Tesla's can use other charging stations by using adapters, however, the speed of charge varies greatly (1 hour vs 8 or more). Part of the problem is that independent charge stations are few and far between. Remember, although EVs have been around for a while, there are varying standards, and until more vehicles come out there's little reason for independents to grow as the current likelihood of profitability is low. There are some in the US, which offer pay-and-go, but that's because there are a greater number of EVs there to begin with.
Tesla Superchargers are the only one that charge at a very high rate (volts and amps) such that it takes about an hour to get fully charged. The other independent charging stations are significantly slower, which is why there is a greater interest in Teslas to begin with. Most people who are using Superchargers are traveling long distances - home charging works the rest of the time.
What is untrue is that Tesla's charging is free. Yes, free as in it's incorporated into the price of the newer models (the first one's had to pay to use the chargers, some lower powered ones pay by fees and when the 3 comes out owners will have to pay. Are there free chargers? Yes, they are the one's setup and mostly used by other EVs. Other than on long distance trips, mine is charged at home at my cost.
Personally, I'm not concerned about "incentives" in terms of rebates. If there wasn't one, I'd still have bought it as it was insignificant to cost of the vehicle to begin with. I agree that if government is going to be involved, it should be for more mainstream EVs to encourage the changeover. I don't see it as a long term solution as eventually those incentives will become too much of a burden as more drivers convert. As I've said, the same applied to HOV lanes. The incentives will eventually have to run out, but probably not for a decade if carbon emissions are not being met.
