Earlier this year, there were “no fewer than” seven Walmart stores that allegedly caught fire, resulting in millions of dollars of damage to stores and merchandise. Walmart claimed the fires were due to Tesla’s recently installed solar panels. As a result, Walmart filed a lawsuit against Tesla claiming they utilized untrained and unsupervised installers, leading to faulty installations that caused the fires.
Now it appears the lawsuit is officially over, as the two companies have agreed to settle the lawsuit out of court. According to documents filed on November 4, Walmart requested a discontinuance of the case. Details of the deal were not revealed, and still needs to be finalized and approved by the court, but that is expected to just be a formality and should take place soon.
In a joint announcement after the documents were filed, Tesla and Walmart announced they will continue to work together to ensure Walmart has has a future with sustainable energy systems.
“Walmart and Tesla are pleased to have resolved the issues raised by Walmart concerning the Tesla solar installations at Walmart stores. Safety is a top priority for each company and with the concerns being addressed, we both look forward to a safe re-energization of our sustainable energy systems.”
During the production ramp-up of the Model 3, resources from Tesla’s Energy division were diverted to ensure the survival of the Model 3. As a result, production and installation of Tesla Solar declined during that time. Now that the Model 3 is the best-selling vehicle for Tesla, Tesla’s Energy division is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years, possibly even becoming bigger than the automotive division of Tesla, according to Elon Musk.
h/t [Teslarati]
