Tesla鈥檚 energy subsidiary has applied to become an electricity supplier in Britain, a first such move by tech billionaire Elon Musk鈥檚 operations outside the United States.
A notice on the UK energy regulator鈥檚 website confirmed a weekend media report that Tesla Energy Ventures Limited had applied for a licence to supply electricity. The subsidiary of Musk鈥檚 electric carmaker Tesla currently provides electricity across Texas.
A document formalising the UK application, initially revealed by the Sunday Telegraph, is dated July 18 and signed by Andrew Payne, Tesla鈥檚 director of energy for Europe.
Tesla Energy, which specialises in solar power and battery storage, did not immediately respond Monday to AFP鈥檚 request for comment regarding the application on regulator Ofgem鈥檚 website.
Tesla in 2020 obtained a licence to produce electricity in the UK, notably using solar panels, without selling it directly to consumers.
News of the latest application comes as Tesla suffers a global decline in sales of its cars owing to increased competition and a backlash over Musk鈥檚 collaboration with US President Donald Trump.
UK registrations of the brand dropped to 987 in July from 2,462 one year earlier, according to trade data.