When Elon Musk makes his next big announcement later this month he won’t be joined by an electric car or a space-bound capsule. Tesla will finally be passing along details on its long-awaited batteries designed for home use, plus a “utility-scale” battery as well — both of which will likely be manufactured in its new Gigafactory in Nevada.
Musk has hinted several times via social media that the batteries were on the way:
Major new Tesla product line — not a car — will be unveiled at our Hawthorne Design Studio on Thurs 8pm, April 30
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 30, 2015
Now Tesla’s spokesperson has confirmed the announcement to Buzzfeed:
“We have decided to share a bit about what we will announce on the 30th,” Jeff Evanson, Tesla’s VP of investor relations wrote in a message confirmed by BuzzFeed News as authentic. “We will introduce the Tesla home battery and a very large utility scale battery. We will explain the advantages of our solutions and why past battery options were not compelling.”
Tesla’s home batteries have been heralded as a serious game changer for the clean energy industry, a low-cost alternative that will complement the growing demand for solar power. Musk has already pledged to make batteries for 500,000 cars by 2020 at its new Gigafactory, so the home battery market was an obvious addition. But it’s the intriguing “utility-scale” battery which is a new development. Will Tesla start selling batteries to utility companies and radically alter our energy future?
[BuzzFeed]