After reading that article I don't see the 'stiff' competition that the clickbait title claims. It says 'Samsung SDI Co Ltd, LG Chem Ltd, Saft Groupe SA, and array of small companies' but it doesn't go into their actual offerings. The article only spoke of Tesla and a vague idea that there is competition with no actual proof. It did mention the state of Cali's initiative to subsidized green energy but without providing any substance.

I don't think Tesla has a lot of competition and that's why they released their patents. They need more minds focused on green technology because they aren't able to solve all the major issues.

Also, the only actual competition Tesla has in the current fossil energy market. They are trying to disrupt that market, they aren't cost competitive yet but they are getting there.

tldr; The article is a flame article with little to no substance about Tesla's competition. It lacks specifics.