Tesla negotiated a deal to begin selling some of its products at Home Depot retail stores this week. No, the American hardware and home DIY chain will not be selling vehicles. Known primarily for its luxury design electric cars, Tesla, Inc. also builds other environmentally savvy gadgets. The Palo Alto tech company also designs and manufactures solar panels for homeowners and businesses to purchase. Home Depot offers a variety of retail goods to consumers for yard and home improvement, so marketing quality solar panels makes sense. Home Depot’s decision to begin selling Tesla products indicates that the retailer intends to remain relevant with technological advances. Reportedly, Lowe’s representatives are in talks with Tesla about selling similar products as well.
Solar panels are not the only products to be featured at Home Depot locations. The electric car company will also be displaying and selling its new Powerwall home batteries. The Powerwall batteries are one of only a handful of products available on Tesla’s website. Designed primarily to run as an electric generator if a house loses power, the Powerwall batteries can be charged via solar panels. If a housing unit loses power, much like a gas generator, the Powerwall system kicks in and can provide up to seven days of power from a single unit. Tesla’s solar panels, too, use the same uniform design that makes its other commodities enticing: simple, effective, and new. The solar panels are flat, relatively hidden from view when installed on a rooftop, and do not require moving parts. Also soon to be available by Tesla are its new solar roof pieces, which look surprisingly like standard shingles. These products are slightly transparent to allow light to beam through them to permit an underneath receiving solar panel to soak up sun rays. Converting electricity to battery power helps keep users’ homes active and safe to essential services in the event of an outage.
The Elon Musk-founded Tesla, Inc. is expected to begin rolling out the new products for real life presentations. Tesla resolved to staff each retail location with its own employees who are experienced in relevant demonstrations for interested customers. In doing so, Tesla will ensure its products are adequately and accurately pitched to consumers. Eight hundred locations will reportedly be staffed with the product experts, though products by Tesla are not cheap to purchase: a typical home could cost an average of $50,000 to purchase an adequate system.