What’s Up With Tesla’s Energy Business?

This week, the history and future of Tesla Energy.

Back in 2006, Elon Musk posted a manifesto outlining his vision for a high-end sports car that would push unit volume and lower costs. It also included hints about an integrated company that will sell solar and batteries alongside cars.

More than a dozen years later, that vision is being put to the test. After launching a distributed and grid-scale battery business, acquiring SolarCity and then launching a half-baked solar roof, Tesla’s energy services division faces a questionable future.

Battery delays are a problem, the company is no longer a major solar player, solar roof production is feeble, and Tesla is moving entirely to online sales.

So what exactly is Tesla Energy?

We’re going to revisit the chronology and explore where it’s all headed.

Recommended reading:

• Bloomberg: Did Elon Musk Forget About Buffalo?
• Listen to our earlier episode with Tesla’s grid storage architect, Mateo Jaramillo.
• Fast Company: The Real Story Behind Elon Musk’s $2.6 Billion Acquisition Of SolarCity
• GTM: What Happens to Tesla’s Solar Business as Retail Stores Close and Sales Go Online?

The Interchange is supported by Wunder Capital. Listen to our careers episode produced with Wunder Capital. We talked with Wunder CTO Dave Riess about the framework he used to completely change his career path into solar — eventually co-founding a successful company. Listen to that episode in the Interchange feed or find it here.

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