Well it looks like The Foschini Group (TFG) is a fan of Elon Musk.
The group that owns Jet and Foschini will be the the first retail company to pilot the use of Musk’s batteries in such a huge quantity.
This is result of an effort to combat the devastating effects of load shedding on the retail giant’s stores.
TFG will be the largest single customer of the Tesla Powerwall units, according to News24.
TFG ordered 227 Tesla Powerwalls on July 26 and an additional 80 on August 25.
SO WHAT ARE TESLA POWERWALLS?
According to the Tesla site, Powerwall is a battery that stores energy, detects outages and automatically becomes your home’s energy source when the grid goes down.
WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT FROM A GENERATOR?
The energy company says that unlike generators, Powerwall keeps your lights on and phones charged without upkeep, fuel or noise.
The device can pair with solar and recharge with sunlight to keep your appliances running for days.
“Powerwall reduces your reliance on the grid by storing your solar energy for use when the sun isn’t shining,” the Tesla site says.
It should also be noted that you can use Powerwall alone or combine it with other Tesla products to save money, reduce your carbon footprint and prepare your home for power outages.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST
The Powerwall has a large start-up cost, with each unit costing upwards of R150 000 or more.
Despite the major costs, TFG believes in the product and calls the Tesla Powerwall a “highly capable product”.
BUSINESS REPORT