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On June 13, 2019, the owner of SpaceX and Tesla's general manager, Elon Musk, made gestures during a conversation at the Gaming Convention at E3 in Los Angeles.
Mike Blake | Reuters
Walmart is sued Elon Musk's electric vehicle and clean energy company after Tesla solar panels at the top of seven of the retailer's stores reportedly caught fire, according to a court record.
Walmart's lawsuit alleges breach of contract, gross negligence and failure to meet industry standards. Walmart is asking Tesla to remove the solar panels from more than 240 Walmart sites where they have been installed and to pay damages for all the Walmart fires charged to Tesla.
The Walmart lawsuit, filed in the state of New York, states: "By November 2018, no less than seven Walmart stores had been set on fire by Tesla's solar systems – including the four fires described above and the previous three." Details of the classification of evacuations, damaged goods and stocks.
Tesla's share fell more than 1% after rush hour. Walmart and Tesla did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Among many complaints, Walmart said that "Tesla regularly deployed people to inspect solar systems without training or basic knowledge of solar energy." In the lawsuit, they also alleged that Tesla had not properly ground its solar and electrical systems, and that Tesla's installed solar panels at Walmart stores contained a large number of visible faults in the area. naked eye and that Tesla had found and repaired before causing fires.
Tesla has been trying to revive his solar activity recently.
On Sunday, CEO Elon Musk announced in a series of tweets that customers in some states can now rent Tesla's residential and solar roof systems without a contract. The offer is available in six states and will cost at least $ 50 a month (or $ 65 a month in California).
Although Musk touted the ease of canceling a rented roof at any time, the fine print on the Tesla website mentions a $ 1,500 fee to remove the solar panels and restore the customer's roof.
In the second quarter of 2019, Tesla installed only 29 megawatts of solar power, a historic record for the company in a single quarter. At its peak, the solar division of Tesla (formerly SolarCity) installed more than 200 megawatts in a single quarter.
When Tesla acquired SolarCity in 2016 for about $ 2.6 billion, this deal has sparked controversy that continues today.
SolarCity was founded and managed by the first cousins of Musk, Peter and Lyndon Rive. Prior to the acquisition of Tesla, Musk held approximately one-fifth of SolarCity's shares, which stood at approximately $ 575 million by the end of 2015. Had SolarCity been a successful solar installer during the previous decade, its stock was in free fall and the debt had skyrocketed. $ 3.4 billion before the closing of the transaction.
In an investor presentation aimed at gathering support for the acquisition, Musk showed what appeared to be elegant glass solar roof tiles. Rather than bulky panels, they looked like shingles of superior quality. Solar tiles are not yet widely distributed or manufactured in series.
Jordan Novet contributed to this report.
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