Tesla to Sell Solar/Powerwalls at Home Depot

[TheTalkingMule]

Headline is a bit misleading since this represents a significantly cheaper angle for sales relative to the past.

Tesla’s solar division is expanding its sale presence to 800 Home Depot stores

According to the report, Tesla will be selling its solar rooftop installations and Powerwalls through the partnership and potentially even solar roof tiles at some point.

Tesla is also reportedly in discussion with Lowe’s for a similar deal.

This is a real nice step. Why bother paying a 3rd party $500 just a lukewarm Home Depot lead? They're better off just putting the info out there and letting the referral platform bring in the closed sales.

Hopefully it's not too expensive. I wonder who is paying who in this deal?

 

[LCR1]

Not the first time Tesla solar has been showcased in HD

 

[TheTalkingMule]

Previous efforts were simply trolling for leads, this seems to be a full physical showcasing of the actual product offering.

 

[Shygar]

One of the guys caught me a few weeks ago and asked me if I considered a powerwall. He was shocked to hear I already had one installed. I educated him on my experience.

 

[fresnoboy]

If they are are really doing this, how come supply of PW's seems so poor? Or is this just another vehicle for selling SC solar installs with conventional gear?

 

[Shygar]

The guy I talked to said they had a 4 month backlog for my area.

 

[TheTalkingMule]

Yeah, that's my concern as well. They have one Gigafactory, if it's not kicking ow Powerwalls like mad, they're not gonna keep up with demand.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Yeah, that's my concern as well. They have one Gigafactory, if it's not kicking ow Powerwalls like mad, they're not gonna keep up with demand.

Well, they are working on it so they need to be ready if/when it happens.

 

[fresnoboy]

I think this is maybe a bait and switch. People are all excited about powerwalls, but since they aren't available, how about we sell you basic solar, and add the PW later? Trying to bring back some SolarCity sales volume maybe?

Maybe they are trying to prevent others from getting in there? They must spiff HD for each sale coming from their stores, else why would HD allocate their retail space in that way/ It's not like it brings in other business for HD.

Or maybe they were trying to keep Vivant or others out? There are usually folks in the stores today from other firms selling basic solar.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I think this is maybe a bait and switch. People are all excited about powerwalls, but since they aren't available, how about we sell you basic solar, and add the PW later? Trying to bring back some SolarCity sales volume maybe?

Maybe they are trying to prevent others from getting in there? They must spiff HD for each sale coming from their stores, else why would HD allocate their retail space in that way/ It's not like it brings in other business for HD.

Or maybe they were trying to keep Vivant or others out? There are usually folks in the stores today from other firms selling basic solar.

Or maybe they're just trying to get leads. Tesla stores will target sales of the solar roof while regular they'd use regular retail stores to target sales of the regular panels.

 

[Daniel john]

I tried Tesla and the consequence was mind-blowing. Everone trust on Tesla. Now it's to Solar Panels.
What do you think Guys, will it be reliable?

News Reference:http://mobitechinfo.com/tesla-will-start-selling-solar-panels-wholesale-stores/

 

[Atebit]

Was at the local HD a few weeks ago searching for fasteners when this clipboard-toting hipster approached me wanting to talk all about Tesla Energy. So I asked him if Tesla had figured out solar/powerwall/generator integration yet & his response was, “well, if you have a PowerWall, you don’t need a generator.”

Since I was already having a hard time finding the fasteners I was looking for, I suggested he read this forum (which of course he was unfamiliar) and politely bid him a good day.

So at least in this case I’d say they’re still just lead-taking. This guy knews not’ing Lebowski, not’ing.

 

[liuping]

I was talking to a the Tesla sales guy at a local Home Depot a few weeks ago. That store did not have the full kiosk set up yet in that store, just a stand and poster, but he said the first weekend a nearby store installed the full display, they got 12 Power wall installation reservations.

I think having real products on display, instead of just a guy with a clip board, is going to get more people to stop and talk.

 

[liuping]

So I asked him if Tesla had figured out solar/powerwall/generator integration yet & his response was, “well, if you have a PowerWall, you don’t need a generator.”

I would not expect a floor sales person to know anything about generators as that is not how the Powerwalls are being marked and most people will not be installing one. They are focused on solar charging/backup/TOU shifting.

I'm sure the quality and knowledge of the sale people will vary a lot, but I have to say, the person I talked to was quite knowledgeable. He even had solar and Powerwall setup at home.

 

[TomDiego]

I was talking to a the Tesla sales guy at a local Home Depot a few weeks ago. That store did not have the full kiosk set up yet in that store, just a stand and poster, but he said the first weekend a nearby store installed the full display, they got 12 Power wall installation reservations.

Which location was this? Did the sales guy mention which store had the full display?

 

[liuping]

Which location was this? Did the sales guy mention which store had the full display?

The Home Depot on Genesee is supposed to have the full display, but have not had a chance to check it out yet.

 

[markb1]

The Home Depot on Genesee is supposed to have the full display, but have not had a chance to check it out yet.

I saw that a week or two ago. They had a Powerwall 2 and a solar panel on display, as I recall. The Tesla rep was already talking to a group of people, so I didn't ask any questions.

 

[msaficionado]

This is great news, definately something to consider installing in the future.

 

[TheTalkingMule]

Anyone know if there's a list of specific HD locations with these kiosks?

 

[TomDiego]

The Home Depot on Genesee is supposed to have the full display, but have not had a chance to check it out yet.

I was in the area today and I needed to go to Home Depot, so I stopped by and took a photo of the Tesla display. There were two guys there to answer questions. One of them was a total geek and just about lost it when I told him I had two Powerwalls and showed him my app and the info from PVOutput.org. I really didn't ask them much but I was surprised to find out that they hadn't seen a live Powerwall and didn't know about the pulsating green lights or the slight hum that they make from the fan. They did know about the "Self Powered Home" slogan though. The video display is a touch screen monitor that apparently allows you to answer various questions to determine your solar requirements, but I didn't bother to play around with that. Overall, it was a nice, eye-catching display and probably generates some interest.