- Tesla’s British energy thrust occurs while car sales slide strongly on the main European markets
- The OFGEM license process can delay the launch of British energy from Tesla until the end of next year
- Elon Musk’s political positions have aroused concerns among Tesla’s customers in several European countries
Tesla applied to the British energy regulator, ofgem, seeking approval to provide electricity directly to households and businesses across England, Scotland and Wales.
The request, signed by Andrew Payne, head of European energy operations in Tesla, marks a potential expansion of the company’s activities beyond the manufacture of electric vehicles on the competitive British market.
If they are approved, operations could start in 2026, but will dispute a number of long -standing public service providers.
An entry point in the British energy sector
The British presence of Tesla already includes more than a quarter of a million electric vehicles on the road, alongside tens of thousands of home storage batteries.
These existing customers could form a ready -to -use base for its electricity services.
Solar energy and battery storage activities of the company, as well as the concept of portable power plants, suggest that it can integrate generation, storage and power in a single offer.
This could give Tesla an advantage in the regrouping services, but it would also place it under the same regulatory and operational pressures facing other energy suppliers.
This decision comes at a time when European sales of European Tesla of electric vehicles have dropped sharply.
In July 2025, registrations in the United Kingdom fell by almost 60%compared to the same month of last year, German sales down more than 55%, and in ten main European markets, the decline was 45%.
This slowdown is partly attributed to the intensification of competition, in particular of the Chinese manufacturer byd, which quickly widened its European footprint with alternatives at a lower cost.
Elon Musk’s political positions have also generated a discussion about how her profile could affect Tesla’s reception in the British energy sector.
His previous relationship with American President Donald Trump, now publicly fractured, and his involvement in right-wing political debates in the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy, have aroused criticism from certain Tesla customers.
The question of whether these controversies will influence consumer confidence in Tesla as an electricity supplier remain uncertain.
Although Tesla is mainly known for its electric vehicles, it already operates a retail electricity company in Texas under the Tesla Energy brand.
There, customers can charge their vehicles at lower rates and even sell excess electricity to the network.
This model, if it is adapted to the United Kingdom, could integrate the EV load into household energy management, potentially attractive for new and existing customers.
However, the OFGEM license process can take up to nine months, and no details have been disclosed on Tesla’s prices or operational strategy for the British market.
Via the BBC
