Tesla is trying to make owning an electric car a bit more like signing up to an entire energy ecosystem, with a new UK deal that bundles together solar panels and its latest Powerwall 3 home battery system for £199 a month. And with a Tesla Model 3 available from just £295 a month, Tesla will bundle the renewable energy package with a car for £494 a month.
The new renewable energy offer is currently aimed exclusively at Tesla car owners and includes an eight-panel solar installation plus a Powerwall 3 battery, all fitted and installed with fixed costs and zero per cent finance over four years.
Customers will need to put down a £1,747 deposit, but Tesla says the package is designed to make renewable energy more affordable for households already driving electric cars.
Tesla says a Powerwall combined with solar panels could save owners £1,450 a year in energy costs (Tesla)
The company says the move is part of its wider push to bring what it calls “sustainable abundance” to the UK, linking together electric cars, home batteries and solar energy under one roof.
Tesla owners can apply for the offer through installation partner BOXT, while non-Tesla drivers can still access alternative pricing through the same installer.
The idea is straightforward enough: solar panels generate electricity during the day, the Powerwall stores any unused energy, and that stored power can then be used later to run the home or charge the car.
Tesla says Powerwall owners paired with solar panels can save an average of £1,450 a year on energy bills.
While Tesla has spent the past decade establishing itself as one of the UK’s best-selling EV brands, its ambitions in energy appear to be growing fast too. The company recently received an Ofgem licence allowing it to become an energy retailer in Great Britain, opening the door to future services that could combine vehicle charging, home batteries, solar energy and AI-powered energy management.
Tesla already runs a retail energy business called Tesla Electric in the US state of Texas, and today’s announcement suggests the UK could eventually see something similar.
Beyond homes and cars, Tesla has also been expanding its role in large-scale battery storage projects across Europe – to such an extent that it now operates the three largest battery energy storage systems in Europe by capacity.
Tesla is teaming up with Certified Premium Installer, BOXT to offer its customers solar panels and a Tesla Powerwall (Tesla)
In the UK alone, Tesla says it has deployed more than 1GWh of Megapack battery storage systems across more than 15 sites. Those sites store electricity generated from renewable sources, such as solar and wind, before feeding it back into the grid when demand rises.
Tesla says the total energy stored across those sites is roughly equivalent to the daily electricity needs of 100,000 homes.
The company claims these large-scale battery projects help electricity providers like National Grid manage increasing amounts of renewable energy more reliably, while also helping EV drivers charge using greener electricity.