By JONATHAN FAHEY
The energy world is not keeping up with Elon Musk, so he’s trying to take matters into his own hands.
Musk, chairman of the solar installer SolarCity, announced Tuesday that the company would acquire a solar panel maker and build factories “an order of magnitude” bigger than the plants that currently churn out panels.
By Todd Woody
Is Elon Musk out to save world or dominate it? Both, it seems, given today’s announcement that the electric-car entrepreneur and space pioneer intends to build the world’s largest solar panel factory in New York so he can sell you carbon-free electricity to power your home and car in a bid to push fossil fuels off the power grid.
Elon Musk wants all electric car models to use his Tesla Superchargers, and he plans on sharing the technology behind them willingly.
Tesla has had a rough couple of months. Shares hit an all-time high of $194.50 in late September, then concerns about the fires on the Model S crept up. Following that, third-quarter earnings were great, but concerns about selling more Model S units in the fourth-quarter hit the stock.
Tesla is pushing for state legislation that allows company-owned stores.
