Clément Lesaffre, edited by Thibaud Le Meneec 09:11, 05 September 2021, modified at 09:17, 05 September 2021

The Tesla company, which manufactures high-end electric cars, now plans to become an energy supplier.

With its expertise in batteries and electricity storage, Elon Musk's group seems to be able to make this "strategic" shift, according to observers.

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Would you be ready to buy your electricity from Tesla, the famous car manufacturer?

The question may seem incongruous but it could well arise in the near future.

In addition to making cars and robots, billionaire Elon Musk's company plans to become an energy supplier as well.

It has filed a file in this regard in Texas and benefits from its experience in the field: by producing only electric vehicles, the group has developed cutting-edge innovations in battery, recharging and energy storage.

A "completely conceivable" project 

Storage is precisely the most complex part of electricity production.

But Tesla has the solution: its GigaFactories, battery factories, also act as a huge reserve of electricity.

"It is quite possible", assures Barbara Nicoloso, teacher at Sciences Po Lille and specialist in renewable energies.

"It is even strategic for Tesla to offer an additional energy supply when buying a car." 

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For the expert, "you should know that a car is stationary 95% of the time and the batteries would therefore be available 95% of the time".

Therefore, "each person who has an electric car would potentially have a small storage plant in his garage which would allow electricity to be stored on the entire electrical network". 

Greater control in renewable energies?

According to Barbara Nicoloso, Tesla could even arrive in the medium term on the electricity market in France by positioning itself in renewable energies. Its batteries allow it to manage the storage of electricity from solar or wind power, which is intermittent and by nature difficult to store, more efficiently than traditional players. It remains to be seen, of course, at what price Tesla would be able to meet this challenge for French consumers.