Tesla Swerves on Strategy, Trailed by Growing Doubts | NYT

Another test of the "It's 2019—people want to buy stuff online" theory...

"“Similar to our approach to selling vehicles, we are also shifting sales of our energy and solar products worldwide to online only,” Tesla said in a statement. It said the model would allow customers to save thousands of dollars.

But Allison Mond, a senior analyst at Wood Mackenzie, which tracks and supplies solar data for the Solar Energy Industries Association, said the move was likely to be counterproductive. “Online historically is not a very popular way to sell solar,” she said. “It really has not been proven.”

SolarCity, the predecessor to Tesla’s solar business, once controlled two-thirds of the residential market. By the end of last year under Tesla’s control, that share was under 10 percent. The latest move, Ms. Mond said, “just adds to the story that, I think, Tesla does not care about their residential solar business.”"

Tesla Swerves on Strategy, Trailed by Growing Doubts | NYT