Tesla to release in-car app for solar roof/Powerwall monitoring, says Elon Musk

Ever since the acquisition of SolarCity, Tesla has been looking to create synergies between its energy producing products, solar panels and now solar roof tiles, its energy storing products, Powerwalls and Powerpacks, and its energy-consuming products, its electric vehicles.

The latest synergy effort will take the form an in-car app for monitoring power generation – confirmed CEO Elon Musk.

Last month, Tesla already updated its mobile app with new features to enable Tesla Powerwall and home solar owners to monitor and manage the “power flow” of their systems directly from the application.

With the simple new app, users can easily see where the electricity powering their home is coming from: grid, solar installation, or Powerwall. It enables Tesla customers to have a greater visibility in their power generation and consumption.

Now Musk says that Tesla will bring the same information directly inside their vehicles:

Yes

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 21, 2017

There’s already a power consumption app inside Tesla’ vehicles – pictured above. Therefore, it could be interesting to see both the energy consumed by the vehicle and linked it to the energy produced by Tesla’s solar products.

Of course, it wouldn’t be useful to all Tesla owners since they will not all have Powerwalls or solar installations by Tesla/SolarCity, but it plays into Tesla’s vision for its future average customers.

After the acquisition of SolarCity, Musk said that he sees future Tesla customers often having not only a Tesla vehicle but also a solar installation, either a solar rooftop or solar roof tiles, and also one or more Powerwall 2.

This vision is still at least a few months down the road since Tesla has yet to fully integrate SolarCity and release its own solar roof tiles and solar panels. The company is also still ramping up production of its new Powerwall 2 and it has yet to deliver the home battery packs in significant volume.

Nonetheless, we are already seeing more synergy between the different business units.

Featured image: credit to fietswiel via /r/teslamotors on reddit