Tesla is coming to 800 Home Depot stores
Tesla is going mainstream. No, not the electric cars.
Elon Musk is bringing his solar panels and Powerwall batteries to 800 Home Depot locations in the U.S., Bloomberg reported this week. That's a big boost for the venture, previously known as SolarCity. The products, also available for sale on Tesla's website, will now be exposed to more customers' eyes.
The dedicated spaces inside Home Depot stores will be Tesla-branded and be staffed by Tesla employees. In some retail locations, the large installations will include a visual demonstration of how the devices work. According to Bloomberg's report, the new areas will arrive the first half of the year.
Tesla's solar products aren't cheap. Installations can cost between $10,000 and $25,000, not including the $7,000 battery, according to Tesla’s website.
Lowe's, Home Depot's top competitor in the U.S., also is in discussions to sell Tesla solar products in store, Bloomberg reported. Tesla, Home Depot, and Lowe's all declined to comment to Bloomberg on the plans.
This isn't the first time Home Depot has partnered with the brand. Prior to Tesla acquiring SolarCity in 2016, the company had pop-up shops staffed with SolarCity employees in some Home Depot locations. But at that time, the stores didn't feature the actual products.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk is also selling flamethrowers.
Kerry Flynn is a business reporter for Mashable covering the tech industry. She previously reported on social media companies, mobile apps and startups for International Business Times. She has also written for The Huffington Post, Forbes and Money magazine. Kerry studied environmental science and economics at Harvard College, where she led The Harvard Crimson's metro news and design teams and played mellophone in the Band. When not listening to startup pitches, she runs half-marathons, plays with puppies and pretends to like craft beer.
