Can You Trust Elon Musk As A Partner Or Is He A Competitor? Here's What GM CEO Mary Barra Says

General Motors Co GM decided to team up with Tesla Inc TSLA for EV charging, but the two companies are still competing for market share in the space. 

What Happened: During an interview Monday at the Aspen Ideas Festival, GM CEO Mary Barra was asked about how she views Tesla CEO Elon Musk following their partnership agreement.

Barra was asked, "Do you think you can trust Elon Musk as a partner or will you still be viewing him as a competitor?"

The GM CEO responded that she views Musk as both a competitor and a partner.

"In this case, it was a decision really that's good for everyone. And as you see more now OEMs move to adapting this standard, I think it's going to be better for the consumer," Barra said. 

At the beginning of the month, GM announced it will integrate the North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector into its EVs, which will expand access to charging for GM EV drivers at 12,000 Tesla Superchargers stations.

The Tesla Supercharger Network will be open to GM EV drivers starting in 2024 but will initially require the use of an adapter.

Beginning in 2025, the first GM EVs will be built with a NACS inlet for direct access to Tesla Superchargers. GM also said it will integrate the Tesla Supercharger Network into its vehicle and mobile apps.

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Barra noted GM was able to collaborate with Tesla "very seamlessly." The company was "great to work with," she said. 

"Of course we're going to compete, but I think in a lot of spaces now, in many industries, you compete and you partner," Barra said. 

The GM CEO noted the company doesn't shy away from partnering with its competitors. GM also has partnerships with Honda and Ford, she said. 

"Frankly, I think the industry would benefit from doing more partnerships," Barra told the audience at the Aspen Ideas Festival. 

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Photos: Courtesy of  Senator Claire McCaskill and Steve Jurvetson from Flickr