It’s looking like a good thing that Tesla doesn’t have a traditional dealer network. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

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Car dealers have widely different assumptions of how to price the Chevrolet Bolt, the electric vehicle from General Motors. And their uncertainty highlights an important advantage for Tesla – when you control your distribution, you also have more control over pricing.

For years, Tesla’s lack of a dealer network seemed like a disadvantage, particularly given that the dealers were powerful political players that could keep Tesla out of certain states. But now it looks like Tesla’s do-it-yourself strategy has some important advantages. The company only has to please customers, not its distributors. And it has more control over pricing.