Latest news with #Powerwall
The Verge
3 days ago
- Business
- The Verge
since Elon Musk extended his
1 million Powerwalls. While sales of Tesla cars have suffered greatly arm and wallet to politics globally, his Starlink and Tesla Energy products have continued to do well. There's lots of EV competition, but zero alternatives for cheap and fast consumer internet that can be quickly deployed in data dead zones, or whole home battery backup systems with a proven track record and terrific user experience. Although the competitors are quickly gearing up to address the latter.
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Tesla-powered homes promise to keep the lights on in outage-prone Houston— but it comes with cons, too
A new development of 11 three-story detached townhomes in Houston holds the promise of energy self-sufficiency in a city where power can be unreliable. Each three-bedroom home is equipped with Tesla solar roofs and batteries. Don't miss It's the first of its kind in the U.S. — and the builder is promising that 'if the power ever goes out in Houston, for whatever reason, they've got you covered,' according to KHOU 11 reporter Ron Treviño. Texas is the only state that isn't part of the national power grid. Rather, it has its own power grid — but that means, if anything goes wrong, it can't draw on power from elsewhere. Couple this with an aging infrastructure and a propensity to be hit with severe weather events, and this leads to frequent blackouts that last days or longer. In fact, Texas experienced 210 weather-related outages between 2000 and 2023 — more than any other state, according to Climate Central. 'Because our power grid is so terrible and we lose power for days on end, we have people that have lost all their groceries,' Jaime Fallon, director of sales with NextGen Real Estate, told KHOU 11. How solar homes are tackling power outages The Oaks of Shady Acres offers energy self-sufficiency with Tesla solar shingles. These solar shingles work with Tesla's Powerwall home battery storage to make the homes self-sufficient. The homes also come with electric vehicle chargers. 'Residents benefit from free, clean energy while also profiting from surplus power sold back to the grid,' said a sponsored article about the project. As of late last month, five homes were still up for sale. Fallon claims that although the builder, Utopia Homes, is using Tesla technology, the backlash against Tesla CEO Elon Musk is not hurting demand. Utopia is a subsidiary of Goldman Investments, which calls Tesla a partner on its website. 'We have honestly had no issues with Trump and Musk backlash. In fact, I had over 150-plus people at my brokers' open. It was insane, people were very excited. Houston is an oil and gas place, so having the first Tesla-powered homes is unheard of,' Fallon told She said buyers are mostly interested in reliable power.
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
TSLA vs. BYDDY: Which of These EV Giants is Better Positioned Now?
Tesla TSLA has long been the poster child of the electric vehicle (EV) revolution. Since its IPO in 2010, this U.S.-based company has grown into a global icon, known for its sleek designs, bold innovation and a loyal fan following. But the landscape is shifting fast. With the future of transportation being electric, many automakers are quickly catching up to challenge Tesla's dominance. And leading this competition is China's BYD Co. Ltd. BYDDY, which started in 1995 as a battery maker and has rapidly transformed into a formidable EV juggernaut. With deep roots in battery technology and a growing global footprint, BYD has emerged as Tesla's most serious challenger yet. In the fourth quarter of 2023, BYD briefly took the EV sales crown from Tesla before ending the full year just behind. The same pattern repeated in 2024. In the first quarter of 2025, BYD delivered over 416,000 battery electric vehicles (BEVs), outpacing Tesla's 336,000 and securing the top spot for a second straight quarter. Meanwhile, Tesla's deliveries declined both year over year and quarter over quarter. As the EV race heats up, both companies are pushing boundaries. However, with BYD's aggressive growth and Tesla's recent slowdown, the gap between the two is closing fast. So, in this high-stakes battle for EV supremacy, who should you place your bets on? Let's find out. Tesla is facing rising pressure in its core EV business. Sales are slipping across key markets like the United States, Europe and China, while the brand's once-unchallenged appeal is starting to fade. CEO Elon Musk's growing involvement in the Department of Government Efficiency has raised concerns about his ability to stay focused on Tesla, especially as the company wrestles with slowing demand and intense competition. Although Musk still anticipates some growth in vehicle sales this year, he has dialed back his earlier 20–30% growth forecast. Adding to the concern, Tesla's automotive margins are shrinking as the company continues to roll out discounts and incentives to drive sales. Moreover, talks of its much-awaited affordable model getting delayed are adding fuel to the fire. On the bright side, Tesla's Energy Generation and Storage segment is gaining traction. Products like the Megapack and Powerwall have been well-received, helping energy storage deployments jump 113% year over year in 2024. Musk expects at least 50% more growth in 2025. Tesla's charging infrastructure business is also performing well. Recently, TSLA claimed that its in-house 4680 battery production is now more cost-effective than external sourcing. That's a major milestone for the automaker. Looking ahead, Tesla's big bet is on its autonomous driving ambition. The company plans to roll out unsupervised FSD in Austin this June. Last month, it secured the first of several approvals required to eventually launch its long-awaited robotaxi service in California. Progress in FSD approvals and robotaxi development is critical with no further delays. Financially, Tesla remains on solid ground, with high liquidity and low debt. Its long-term debt-to-capitalization is just around 7%, and it has a strong interest coverage ratio of 27.7. BYD has become a dominant force in China's electric vehicle landscape, commanding about one-third of the country's new energy vehicle (NEV) market. It holds the largest EV market share in China, thanks to its highly efficient, vertically integrated business model. From batteries and semiconductors to complete vehicle assembly, BYD controls nearly every part of its supply chain. This tight integration helps keep costs low and operations efficient — an essential advantage in today's price-sensitive EV market. The company produces lithium-iron phosphate batteries under its Blade Battery brand. It recently introduced the "Super e-Platform," which promises major gains in range and charging speed. BYD claims its latest batteries can deliver up to 400 kilometers (roughly 249 miles) of range with just five minutes of charging, potentially a game-changer in EV vehicle lineup caters to a wide spectrum of consumers, from affordable options like the Seagull to luxury models under the Yangwang brand. Popular hybrids and EVs such as the Song and Qin series continue to drive strong domestic sales. On the tech front, BYD is making strides with its new 'God's Eye' autonomous driving system, which offers advanced safety features at a competitive price. Internationally, BYD is expanding rapidly, setting up factories in Brazil, Thailand, Hungary, and Turkey while growing its retail presence in markets like Germany and Australia. It aims to double overseas sales to over 800,000 units in 2025. However, rising regulatory risks—especially in Europe, where the EU is investigating Chinese EV subsidies—pose potential hurdles. BYD's net profit jumped 34% in 2024 to RMB 40.25 billion, while revenues rose 29% to a record RMB 777.1 billion ($107 billion). The Zacks Consensus Estimate for both Tesla and BYD's 2025 earnings suggests year-over-year improvement. However, the consensus mark for TSLA has declined over the past 30 days, whereas the same for BYD has risen. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Tesla is trading at a forward sales multiple of 7.08X, above its median of 6.62X over the last two years. Tesla has a Value Score of F. Meanwhile, BYD has a Value Score of B, with its forward sales multiple at 0.95X. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Given the current landscape, BYD appears better positioned than Tesla. BYD's strong domestic leadership, expanding international presence, cost advantages through vertical integration, charging efficiency and autonomous technology make it a better choice. Plus, BYD's more attractive valuation and positive earnings revisions offer additional upside potential. Meanwhile, Tesla is grappling with slowing sales, shrinking margins and leadership distractions. Tesla's non-automotive segments are doing well but they make up a relatively small portion of the company's total revenues. Tesla's high valuation and southbound estimate revisions further dim confidence. While BYD currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), Tesla carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) : Free Stock Analysis Report Byd Co., Ltd. (BYDDY) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research ( Zacks Investment Research
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
A New Community Of Homes Powered By Tesla Tech Is Selling Out Fast, Facing 'No Issues With Trump and Musk Backlash'
Amidst the controversy surrounding Elon Musk, it's sometimes easy to forget that Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) has been at the forefront of clean energy adoption worldwide. It makes sense, then, that Tesla's tech is powering the company's first home community. Consisting of 11 homes in Houston, reports that the properties are attracting intense buyer interest, despite recent vandalism experienced by Tesla car owners and showrooms. 'We have honestly had no issues with Trump and Musk backlash. In fact, I had over 150-plus people at my brokers' open. It was insane, people were very excited,' Jamie Fallon, a Houston-based real estate broker handling the homes' sales, told Don't Miss: Inspired by Uber and Airbnb – Deloitte's fastest-growing software company is transforming 7 billion smartphones into income-generating assets – Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — . All homes in the community feature Tesla-made products, including solar roof shingles, EV chargers, and Powerwall home battery storage. The latter has become a coveted commodity in Texas, which is not part of the national power grid but operates its own separate electrical grid. Risks And Rewards Launching a new Tesla product, especially one as expensive as a home, could be seen as risky for the company, which has seen its stock price plummet due to Musk's close association with President Donald Trump. However, Fallon has said buyers are more interested in power than politics. 'Who cares who is in office when you don't have power? Houston has had a huge issue with electricity because we're not on the national grid. So when we lose power, we're out for five days,' she told 'While we are big on oil, gas, and generators, now people are seeing that they can have Tesla-powered homes at similar price points,' she added. 'We are not selling sunset; we are selling power.' Trending: It's no wonder Jeff Bezos holds over $250 million in art — According to only four of the 11 homes remain available. While the essential components that power the homes are Tesla-made, the residences themselves, located in the Oaks of Shady Acres subdivision, have been built by Utopia Homes. Two of the remaining properties still remain—a larger model priced at $544,900 and a smaller one priced at $524,000. By Houston's standards, the houses are pricey—about $179,000 more than Houston's median list price of $365,000. Despite the White House's efforts to promote fossil fuels, Fallon believes that Tesla-type clean-energy homes are the dwellings of the future. 'What legislation we have in Washington is going to dictate it, but going toward clean energy is where I think the country is headed. I think there is a mindset shift happening,' Fallon says. Fallon feels that the homes' integration of style and tech, particularly with Tesla's solar singles, is part of their selling point. 'The next time I have to replace my roof, I'm putting Tesla shingles on it. You can't even tell [what they are]; they look so good,' she says. In addition to mainstream full-sized family homes, Tesla is exploring the tiny house market. The smaller homes, according to Tech Bullion, also feature Tesla solar panels and Powerwall battery storage units. However, the real selling point is the price, which starts at $7,000. Read Next:Can you guess how many retire with a $5,000,000 nest egg? . Image: Shutterstock Up Next: Transform your trading with Benzinga Edge's one-of-a-kind market trade ideas and tools. Click now to access unique insights that can set you ahead in today's competitive market. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article A New Community Of Homes Powered By Tesla Tech Is Selling Out Fast, Facing 'No Issues With Trump and Musk Backlash' originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved. Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Insider
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- Business Insider
Tesla's 'dismal' quarter was rescued by a lucrative side hustle. That may not last.
Tesla shared underwhelming earnings on Tuesday amid collapsing sales and protests against Elon Musk. One bright spot was its energy business, which one investor said saved Tesla's "dismal" earnings. However, executives warned the lucrative side hustle could be hit hard by Trump's tariffs on China. The EV maker's energy generation and storage business, which includes Tesla's Megapack and Powerwall battery systems, brought in $2.73 billion in the first three months of 2025, up 67% from last year. Those strong numbers put a gloss on what was otherwise a very underwhelming set of results. Tesla's net income plummeted to $409 million from nearly $1.4 billion in the same period last year, well below Wall Street's expectations. Revenues from its car business fell 20% as the company's sales collapsed across the globe amid a wave of Elon Musk-fuelled protests and vandalism. "Looks like energy storage saved some pretty dismal numbers from Tesla," wrote Tesla investor Ross Gerber in a post on X. However, Tesla's lucrative side hustle faces a serious speedbump in the form of the escalating trade war between the US and China. Speaking on an analyst call after the earnings, Tesla's CFO, Vaibhav Taneja, said that while the Trump administration's tariffs will hit the company on auto parts, the effect on Tesla's energy storage business from the tariffs on China will be more severe. "The impact of tariffs on the energy business will be outsized since we source LFP battery cells from China," said Taneja. Although Tesla makes Megapacks and Powerwalls at its factories in California and Nevada, the company imports the battery cell components for these systems from China, which dominates the global battery manufacturing industry. Taneja added that Tesla was attempting to set up the manufacturing of lithium-iron phosphate batteries in the US to get around the tariffs, but was facing a shortage of manufacturing equipment. "We've also been working on securing additional supply chain from non-China-based suppliers, but it will take time," said Taneja. Tesla faces fewer headwinds from the tariffs than other automakers, as it has sought to localize production of its cars and energy systems in the markets it sells them in. The company recently began Megapack production at a new factory in Shanghai near the gigafactory that produces its Chinese EVs. Despite this, Elon Musk has warned the auto tariffs introduced by Trump will have a "significant" impact on Tesla. The billionaire, who said on Tuesday he would step back from his cost-cutting role in the Trump administration, told investors that he would "continue to advocate" for lower tariffs — but said that Trump ultimately called the shots. "I made my opinion clear to the president, and other people made their opinion clear to the president," said Musk. "I'm hopeful that the president will observe whether my predictions are more accurate than the predictions of others and perhaps weigh my advice differently in the future. We shall see," he added.
