Feeling the heat: Walmart sues Tesla after solar panel blazes
In a clash of two of America’s best-known companies, Walmart has sued Tesla for alleged “widespread negligence” that led to solar panels made by the electric car giant catching fire.
The supermarket behemoth has asked a court to force Tesla to remove the panels from more than 240 of its US stores after they were judged to be responsible for fires at seven locations. Dozens more showed hazards such as loose wiring and so-called hot spots on panels, according to filings at the New York State Supreme Court.
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The lawsuit accuses Tesla of having untrained workers putting up shoddy installations and showing “utter incompetence or callousness, or both”. The resulting blazes damaged large amounts of store merchandise and caused millions of dollars-worth of losses, it said.
Further inspections of the retailer’s other Tesla-owned solar panels “displayed troubling problems that were indicative of widespread negligence,” the lawsuit said.
Tesla did not respond for comment, but the lawsuit is the latest blow to its solar panel business which it bought for $2.6bn (£2.1bn) in 2016. Since the deal, installations have plummeted more than 85 per cent as the firm cuts its sales force and cuts a distribution deal with Home Depot.
As of November 2018, at least seven Walmart stores had experienced fires due to Tesla’s solar systems, according to the lawsuit. It argued that inadequate inspections by Tesla had created a safety hazard for Walmart customers and employees.
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Tesla chief Elon Musk wrote on Twitter earlier this year that the company’s solar business was “like having a money printer on your roof”.
Tesla shares closed 0.4 per cent down yesterday.
Main image: Getty