Tesla stores are getting a big facelift.
The company is currently in the process of overhauling its retail locations to focus more on the energy side of its business. As part of the revamp, Tesla will showcase its new rechargeable home battery, the Powerwall 2.0, and will install new graphics explaining how its energy products work.
Customers will also now be able to order Tesla’s Powerwall in store and online. Previously, the only way to purchase the battery was on Tesla’s website.
Tesla has already updated some stores in key locations across North America, Europe, and Australia. The company chose to focus the rollout on markets with the most demand for energy products, but the company plans to add its energy products to more stores in the near future.
The revamp comes at a time when Tesla is ramping up its energy business.
On Monday morning, the company officially closed on its acquisition of SolarCity, a deal worth about $2 billion.
Together, the companies will build solar shingles made of a special type of glass. Tesla's solar roof shingles look like normal shingles, but can capture energy from the sun to generate electricity. What's more, Tesla's shingles are expected to be priced competitively.
In fact on Friday, Musk said during a special shareholder meeting that it's likely Tesla's solar roof will cost less than a normal roof, even before taking the value of electricity into account.
Musk first unveiled the solar shingles and Tesla's Powerwall 2.0, at a company event in late October. While most of the attention was given to the solar shingles at the event, the new Powerwall is not to be ignored.
Powerwall 2.0 has 14 kWh of energy and can provide 5 kWh of continuous power. This means it has twice the energy as the previous model. Tesla says that it is capable of powering the lights, sockets, and refrigerator in a two bedroom home.
Besides improved storage, the new Powerwall also looks a lot better. Tesla redesigned the Powerwall 2.0 to be thinner and more rectangular than its predecessor. It also has a built-in inverter and can be mounted on the wall or the ground, indoors or outdoors.
The new batteries price at $5,500 and Tesla estimates the units will cost $1,000 to install, bringing the grand total to $6,500.