Tesla and SolarCity: Merging Autonomous Electric Vehicles and Solar Power
If there’s a rock star in the electric car industry, it’s Tesla CEO and founder Elon Musk.
With the purchase of SolarCity by Musk’s electric vehicle company, it appears solar energy has a new champion as well.
Recently made official, the purchase of SolarCity by Tesla could, if done right, be the key to Musk’s ultimate goal of making electric, renewable-energy vehicles appealing and affordable to mass consumers.
Merger Fitting with Elon Musk’s Stated Goals
It’s well documented that Musk’s endgame is to create electric vehicles that are within the price range for average consumers. In his plan, the first step was to sell a small number of high-end luxury electric cars, then use these profits and the brand’s reputation to make a mass-produced electric vehicle that anyone can buy. The purchase of SolarCity seems to align with these goals.
Tesla and SolarCity: Why it Matters
The merge between the two companies seems like a fairly common deal. Two companies with shared goals in similar industries (in this case, sustainable energy) are coming together. This happens all the time…right?
Yes, but this is a unique and potentially game changing acquisition by Tesla because it puts all the solar energy essentials under one roof. Currently, one of the major challenges to the affordability, efficiency, and adoption of solar power is the spread-out nature of providers and materials. Batteries are often provided by one shop, solar panels by another, installation by another, making the whole process complex, confusing, and inconvenient.
With this deal, Tesla would have nearly all of the technology and materials under one roof. This should hopefully make solar-powered vehicles more cost-effective to produce which will, in theory, make them more affordable and more appealing to the masses. The ultimate goal is that customers can walk into a Tesla store and order their solar-powered vehicle in a single package.
The acquisition of SolarCity doesn’t just increase Tesla’s chances of creating more affordable solar-powered cars, but it gives them more time to focus on autonomous electric vehicles.
Musk is adamant that self-driving technology will be safer than human drivers; according to him, it’s only a matter of time and patience until self-driving cars become the norm. He’s also said that single accidents, including the recent death of a driver who was using Tesla’s “auto-pilot” function, should not hamper the progress of autonomous technology. Considering the amount of traffic deaths (roughly 38,000 in 2015), Musk’s argument seems valid.
The merging of solar technology from SolarCity and autonomous driving from Tesla further increase the chances of large-scale adoption for both platforms. Tesla is increasing their brand’s attractiveness to consumers by continuing to advance the innovations, all while staying focused on affordable renewable energy.
It’s likely that by combining autonomous technology and solar power, Tesla has increased the chances of success for both platforms.
