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0 pointsmaratd9y ago0 comments

> I still don't understand the SolarCity part.

People who buy electric cars are far more likely to buy solar panels. And storage batteries. And wiring they would need for the electric car. It's all directly related.

So when I buy a Tesla ... I have to hire a 3rd party to install the wiring to charge it. I can buy the storage battery from Tesla, but again, need to hire someone else to install it. And if I want solar panels for that storage battery, again 3rd party.

SolarCity has a fleet of professionals ready to do all of that. They also have a plant to manufacture their own panels, which hopefully they'll be able to differentiate on. Combining the two companies will enable Tesla to service that whole loop with the equipment and installation.

Now, you can argue that Tesla may have been better off starting their own division from scratch or buying someone else ... but from what I heard, they're getting a hell of a bargain for SolarCity.

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snowwrestler9y ago

> People who buy electric cars are far more likely to buy solar panels. And storage batteries. And wiring they would need for the electric car. It's all directly related.

Is this true? I'd be interested in learning more about the data behind this.

Anyway, for the sake of discussion let's say it is. Does that mean there is a correlation that scales to the whole population?

Or is it just that electric cars and solar panels appeal to the same small segment of the population? That would show a strong correlation, but not scale well.

ne0n9y ago

Generally, having an electric car would push your electric bill into much higher usage tiers where the power is most expensive. Solar panels make the most sense for people who use the most electricity and pay the most for it. I've seen first hand that people who drive electric cars like to talk about clean energy and if they've got solar panels on their roof, it refutes the argument about burning coal to generate the electricity. As solar panels continue to drop in price, it starts to make more sense for the rest of the population, too.

maratdOP9y ago

> Or is it just that electric cars and solar panels appeal to the same small segment of the population? That would show a strong correlation, but not scale well.

Tesla is a luxury product company. All of their products are either luxury or commercial. Their strategy scales well in that segment.

robszumski9y ago

This is a huge problem and you're right, Tesla is set up well to solve this. Think of a buying experience where you stick a pack on the roof, and only have to run two cables, one for the house and one for your garage. The roof unit could contain the batteries, panels, inverter hardware, and cooling system. Not exactly unboxing a Mac, but with some creative thinking I bet they could find a way to sidestep enough of the painful parts.

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