Talking with investors, Tesla Chief Technology Officer JB Straubel said his company programs to unveil consumer batteries that will energy a person's home or business "fairly soon." He went on to say that it's feasible the product could be launched "in the next month or two" and that production on the batteries will begin in around six months.
Tesla dropped to sophisticate on Straubel's remarks.
Tesla has made a name for itself as a leading maker of electrical cars. The company's luxurious vehicles can be priced as high as six figures, depending on model and configuration. Since Tesla's founding in 2003, it's dedicated to improving car batteries and lengthening the distance electric cars can travel. The company has only just lately started talking about powering the home.
Last year, CEO Elon Musk said Tesla was expecting to build a battery, comparable to the one found in the company's Model S car, that would sit on the wall in a home and be used for power whenever a person needed it. Since it would be placed in the home, Musk said, he'd want it to have a "beautiful cover" and be "plug and play" to make it easy for consumers to use.
Moving into the space would open a completely new front for Tesla. The company has proved to be a catalyst for change in the car business, with a number of major automakers unveiling electric vehicles over the last several years. Tesla's entrance into the home-charging business could spark a similar trend in that realm. Straubel said Wednesday that his company has seen interest from public utilities to perhaps collaborate, although he didn't go into detail.
Once Tesla enters the market, the company could have a competitor in the form of Toyota. Late last year, the Japan-based automaker showed off its 2016 Toyota Mirai, running on fuel cell technological innovation. The car includes a plug that the company says could power a common Japanese home for a week.