well, as said, I suspect that the biggest reason is purely health and safety, especially back then. Beaming power around probably resonated like something from War of the Worlds, a particle beam that would kill you rather than make your car go. But, I wouldn't put anything past Tesla. Unless someone unearths proof, I guess we'll never know. Of course there is one other theory, that if he did do something like that, he destroyed evidence before his death to prevent it from falling into the hands of Edison or his successors. He was a bit eccentric if I recall correctly.