According to filings made with the U.S. District Court in San Jose, California, Tesla is seeking to placate solar customers who complained about sudden price increases earlier this year.
Customers' attorneys filed a Thursday statement informing counsel that Tesla informed Plaintiffs that it had just launched a program to restore customers who purchased Solar Roof contracts prior to the April 2021 price increases. This was to allow them to return to their original pricing (if applicable)
Further details about the program weren't available on Tesla's solar websites or the Engage website for customers, advocates and employees of the company as of Friday afternoon. CNBC reached out directly to Tesla and the attorneys representing plaintiffs to obtain more information about the program. They didn't immediately respond.
After experiencing unexpected price increases, Tesla solar customers filed a lawsuit against the company.
Three separate lawsuits were filed alleging that Tesla solar customers had signed contracts with Elon Musk's renewable energy venture and electric vehicle, and were even ready to have solar photovoltaics installed in their homes. However, they were shocked by unexpected price increases that required them to pay additional fees to proceed with their installations.
These price increases were not accidental. According to lawsuit filings, the solar roof price for plaintiff Matthew Amans jumped from $72,000 in his original contract to $146,000.
These lawsuits were later combined into Amans V Tesla, Inc.
Tesla raised prices for solar installations at least twice this year and required customers who ordered solar panels or roof tiles to also order the Powerwall home energy storage device. Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla, revealed later that they would not be making enough Powerwalls this year due to the continuing shortage of microchips.
The solar sector is still a small part of Tesla's business. Tesla reported energy storage revenue of $801 millions in the second quarter 2021. The division had a revenue cost of $781 million. The company doesn't separate solar revenue by itself -- it includes revenue from lithium-ion energy storage systems. These systems range from small home backup batteries to large, utility-scale systems.
Comparatively, Tesla recorded $10.2 billion in automobile sales during the quarter.
Here is the legal filing.
