OverviewTesla Powerwall is a battery pack that charges from solar panels and can be used for backup power. It is intended to be automated, compact and simple to install [1]. Problems solvedPowerwall was designed in response to the following two problems:1. Carbon Emissions. Use of traditional fossil fuels leads to carbon emissions leading to adverse environmental effects. One way of mitigating that is to use solar power. Because solar power is only available during the day it needs a storage mechanism generally a battery.2. Current batteries are expensive and not easy to install and use.Unique Advantages1. Price advantage only $3,500 for a 10kWh battery2. No maintenance required. In addition, the battery can be installed both indoors and outdoors.3. Large capacity due to the ability to install multiple batteries togetherCompetition1. Traditional batteries that are used for solar power today2. Grid based electricity that is a direct competitor of solar powerMarketThere are two target markets for PowerWall:1. Homeowners in the US who want to use solar power for everyday use2. Users in developing countries who live off of the grid currently

Business ModelTesla is currently taking orders for its powerwall and is offering them at two price points.- 10kWh version for $3,500 and the 7kWh for $3000. To get to full scale production of batteries tesla is building a large factory in Nevada called the Giga factory [2].Intellectual PropertyAlthough Tesla own several patents for its innovations in battery technology, it is taking the unique approach of open sourcing these patents and making it available to other companies. It believes that this will fasten the pace of technological innovation in this industry.Impediments to SuccessThere are three main impediments to success for this product:1. Inability to deliver the batteries at the promised cost after having taken orders for them.2. This product has taken the price for batteries down significantly. If the same does not happen to solar panels and other components of the system dont go down by such amounts, it could lead to less than predicted.3. Although, the product might be a good fit for off grid people in developing countries, the price is still high enough to make it not affordable for those markets yet. So, focusing on those markets at the outset might impede success for the product.

References [1] Tesla Powerwall http://www.teslamotors.com/powerwall [2] Tesla Giga factory http://www.teslamotors.com/gigafactory[3] All our patents are belong to you http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you