New data from EnergySage shows that home solar buyers are increasingly asking for Tesla Powerwall alternatives as the brand damage extends to Tesla’s energy business.
Tesla has long been the brand leader in home battery packs with Powerwall.
The automaker launched its energy division in 2015 with the release of the first Powerwall, which help greatly expand the home battery pack market.
With Powerwall 2, Tesla Energy became the market leader and with Powerwall 3 last year, the company achieveied a truly impressive production ramp – albeit not without some questions.
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It remains the most popular option for people looking for home backup power or to make better use of their home solar system, but there’s competition and Tesla’s brand issues are turning people to those competitors.
EnergySage is a service that enables homeowners to easily source and compare solar quotes for free without any sales call.
It gives them a lot of data about the home solar and battery industry.
The company says that homeowners have consistently chosen the Powerwall when adding a battery to their quote, but it has gone down since Trump’s inauguration and Musk’s salutes:
From January 1 through January 19, about 73% of homeowners selected a battery quote that included the Tesla Powerwall. That number dropped to 64% between January 20 and March 10.
Futhermore, EnergySage says that it has seen a surge in people mentioning Tesla in the quote process and 68% specifically asked for a Tesla Powerwall alternative:
Homeowners receiving quotes mentioned Tesla more than twice as often in emails in the first two months of 2025 compared to the same time last year; 13.5% expressed unfavorable views towards Tesla or Musk, while 68% specifically requested a Tesla alternative.
EnergySage shared an example of one such message from one of its clients:
“Do you offer a battery from a supplier other than Tesla? Though we have a Tesla Powerwall and love it, and we love our Tesla Model 3 and Y, we are outraged at Musk’s politics, so we don’t wish to send him more money,”
North Carolina-based Renu Energy Solutions says that 78% of the home batteries it installed last year were Tesla’s Powerwalls.
Nicholas Boles, Solar Energy Advisor Manager at Renu, confirmed that they are now seeing a surge in requests for alternative this year.
Boles said that they are now pushing Franklin batteries as a Tesla alternative:
“The last 14 deals I’ve sold as a manager have all been Franklin batteries.”
The Franklin aPower 2 has very similar specs as the Powerwall 3 with a bit more energy capacity and a bit less power capacity, but it also has a better warranty:
Specification
Tesla Powerwall 3
Franklin aPower 2
Energy Capacity
13.5 kWh
15 kWh
Continuous Power Output
Up to 11.5 kW
10 kW
Peak Power Output
Up to 30 kW (for 10 seconds)
up to 15 kW
Load Start Capability
185 A Locked Rotor Amps (LRA)
Supports up to a 5-ton A/C unit
Scalability
Up to 4 units
Up to 15 units per system (225 kWh total)
Battery Chemistry
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP)
Lithium Iron Phosphate (LFP)
Round-Trip Efficiency
89% (solar to battery to home/grid)
Not specified
Operating Temperature Range
-4°F to 122°F (-20°C to 50°C)
-4°F to 131°F (-20°C to 55°C)
Dimensions (H x W x D)
43.25 in x 24 in x 7.6 in (1099 mm x 609 mm x 193 mm)
45.2 in x 29.5 in x 11.8 in (1149 mm x 750 mm x 300 mm)
Weight
287 lbs (130 kg)
357 lbs (162 kg)
Enclosure Rating
Not specified
IP67 (battery pack & inverter); IP56 (wiring)
Warranty
10 years
15 years or 60 MWh throughput
While there’s evidence that Tesla’s brand issues are pushing more people to alternative, it is still clear that Powerwall remains popular.
Kowalczyk of Solartime USA told EnergySage that the Texas-based solar installers still gets more requests for Powerwalls than any other battery system.
Electrek’s Take
It makes sense that Tesla’s brand issues would also affect its energy business. Megapack being a business-to-business product isolates from the brand issues, but the Powerwall is still a consumer product.
However, the Powerwall was already so dominant that even significant brand issues would still result in significant market share for Tesla.
There’s also a lack of competition, but they are coming. Franklin aPower 2 is a good example as it fairly close in price and specs as Powerwall 3.
That said, with the still growing home solar business as people are trying to avoid increasing electricity rates. Tesla isn’t likely to have a demand issue with the Powerwall anytime soon.
If you are interested in getting solar and/or batteries for your home, we recommend using EnergySage. You will be able to get quotes without any hassle and only talk to someone when you are ready to move forward.
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Most Wall Street analysts covering Tesla’s stock (TSLA) badly misread the automaker’s delivery volumes this quarter. Some of them have started releasing notes to clients following Tesla’s production and delivery results.
Here’s what they have to say:
According to Tesla-compiled analyst consensus, the automaker was expected to report “377,592 deliveries” in the first quarter.
Truist Securities maintained its hold rating on Tesla’s stock, but it greatly lowered its price target from $373 to $280 a share. They insist that while their earnings expectations have crashed because they overestimated deliveries, investors should focus on Tesla’s self-driving effort, which they see as “much more important for the long-term value of the stock.”
Goldman Sachs lowered its price target from $320 to $275 a share. The firm expected 375,000 deliveries from Tesla in Q1 and therefore had to adjust its earnings expectations with almost 40,000 fewer deliveries.
Wedbush‘s Dan Ives, one of Tesla’s biggest cheerleaders, called the delivery results “disastrous”, but he reiterated his $550 price target on Tesla’s stock.
UBS has reiterated its $225 price target which it had lowered last month after adjusting its delivery expectations in Q1 to 367,000 – one of the more accurate predictions on Wall Street.
CFRA‘s analyst Garrett Nelson reduced his price target from $385 to $360 a share.
Electrek’s Take
I find it funny that most of them are maintaining or barely changing their expectations after they were so wrong about Tesla in Q1.
If you were so wrong in Q1, you should expect to be incorrect also for the rest of the year, and readjust accordingly.
But Cantor is invested in Tesla, and the firm is owned by Elon’s friend, who happens to now be the secretary of commerce. Truist still believes Elon’s self-driving lies, Goldman Sachs overestimated Tesla’s deliveries by the equivalent of $2 billion in revenues, and Dan Ives is Dan Ives.
Covering Tesla over the last 15 years has confirmed to me that most Wall Street analysts have no idea what they are doing – or at least not when it comes to companies like Tesla.
Do you know any who have been consistently good lately? I’d love suggestions in the comment section below.
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The global market rout on Thursday, sparked by President Donald Trump’s announcement of widespread tariffs, had an outsized effect on fintech companies and credit card issuers that are closely tied to consumer spending and credit.
Affirm, which offers buy now, pay later purchasing options, plunged 19%, while stock trading app Robinhood slid 10% and payments company PayPal fell 8%. American Express and Capital One each tumbled 10%, and Discover was down more than 8%.
President Trump on Wednesday laid out the U.S. “reciprocal tariff” rates that more than 180 countries and territories, including European Union members, will face under his sweeping new trade policy. Trump said his plan will set a 10% baseline tariff across the board, but that number is much higher for some countries.
The announcement sent stocks reeling, wiping out nearly $2 trillion in value from the S&P 500, and pushing the tech-heavy Nasdaq down 6%, its worst day since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The sell-off was especially notable for companies most exposed to consumer spending and global supply chains, including payment providers and lenders. Fintech companies that rely on transaction volume or installment-based lending could see both revenue and credit performance deteriorate.
“When you go down the spectrum, that’s when you have more cyclical risk, more exposure to tariffs,” said Sanjay Sakhrani, an analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, citing PayPal and Affirm as businesses at risk. He said bigger companies in the space “are more defensive” and better positioned.
Dan Dolev, an analyst at Mizuho, said bank processors such as Fiserv are less exposed to tariff volatility.
“It’s considered a safe haven,” he said.
Affirm executives have previously said rising prices might increase demand for their products. Chief Financial Officer Rob O’Hare said higher prices could push more consumers toward buy now, pay later services.
“If tariffs result in higher prices for consumers, we’re there to help,” O’Hare said at a Stocktwits fireside chat last month. Affirm CEO Max Levchin has offered similar comments.
However, James Friedman, an analyst at SIG, told CNBC that delinquencies become a concern. He compared Affirm to private-label store cards, and pointed to historical trends in credit performance during downturns, noting that “private label delinquency rates run roughly double” in a recession when compared to traditional credit cards.
“You have to look at who’s overexposed to discretionary,” he said.
Affirm did not provide a comment but pointed to recent remarks from its executives.
Wait, Mazda sells a real EV? It’s only in China for now, but that will change very soon. The first Mazda 6e built for overseas markets rolled off the assembly line Thursday. Mazda’s new EV will arrive in Europe, Southeast Asia, and other overseas markets later this year. This could be the start of something with a new SUV due out next.
Mazda’s new EV rolls off assembly for overseas markets
The Mazda EZ-6 has been on sale in China since October with prices starting as low as 139,800 yuan, or slightly under $20,000.
Earlier this year, Mazda introduced the 6e, the global version of its electric car sold in China. The stylish electric sedan is made by Changan Mazda, Mazda’s joint venture in China.
After the first Mazda 6e model rolled off the production line at the company’s Nanjing Plant, Mazda said it’s ready to “conquer the new era of electrification with China Smart Manufacturing.”
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The new global “6e” model will be built at Changan Mazda’s plant and exported to overseas markets including Europe, Thailand, and other parts of Southeast Asia.
Mazda calls it “both a Chinese car and a global car,” with Changan’s advanced EV tech and Mazda’s signature design.
Mazda 6e electric sedan during European debut (Source: Changan Mazda)
Built on Changan’s hybrid platform, the EZ-6 is offered in China with both electric (EV) and extended-range (EREV) powertrains. The EV version has a CLTC driving range of up to 600 km (372 miles) and can fast charge (30% to 80%) in about 15 minutes.
Mazda’s new EV will be available with two battery options in Europe: 68.8 kWh or 80 kWh. The larger (80 kWh) battery gets up to 552 km (343 miles) WLTP range, while the 68.8 kWh version is rated with up to 479 km (300 miles) range on the WLTP rating scale.
At 4,921 mm long, 1,890 mm wide, and 1,491 mm tall, the Mazda 6e is about the size of a Tesla Model 3 (4,720 mm long, 1,922 mm wide, and 1,441 mm tall).
Mazda said the successful rollout of the 6e kicks off “the official launch of Changan Mazda’s new energy vehicle export center” for global markets.
The company will launch a new SUV next year and plans to introduce a third and fourth new energy vehicle (NEV).
Although prices will be announced closer to launch, Mazda’s global EV will not arrive with the same $20,000 price tag in Europe as it will face tariffs as an export from China. Mazda is expected to launch the 6e later this year in Europe and Southeast Asia. Check back soon for more info.
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