What Tesla Has the Technology to Produce -- Other Than Cars
What the company could be unveiling on April 30.
— -- The announcement that Tesla Motors will unveil a new game-changing product category next month that isn't a car has sent imaginations running wild.
CEO Elon Musk teased the April 30 announcement in a tweet on Monday, only offering the clue that he would not be showing off a new car.
He added that both the press and Tesla owners would be invited to the unveiling -- sparking the possibility that the new product could perhaps work with existing Tesla vehicles.
Karl Brauer, a senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book, told ABC News that Tesla's multi-billion dollar Gigafactory in Nevada to build lithium ion batteries could be a key clue to the company's plans.
"We need the ability to store energy when it’s bountiful and use it when it isn't bountiful," Brauer said. "If somebody can come up with a system to time shift energy storage, that would have a lot of potential and go far beyond the automotive industry."
He said he believes Tesla's new product will likely be a battery for the home or something that could be retrofitted to existing Tesla vehicles, allowing them to get an even greater range.
Patrick Moorhead, an analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, told ABC News that a battery to power the home is a possibility -- especially since Tesla has previously said it has been working on a stationary battery.
Like Tesla's premium cars, Moorhead said he believes the hypothetical home charging system wouldn't be affordable to the masses, at least until 2020 when the company revs up production at its gigafactory.
"I think with the scarcity of battery technology, I don’t think it will be very affordable," he said. "Once they get their factory up and running I am expecting to see more mainstream pricing on anything they produce."
It's also worth noting Musk is chairman of SolarCity, a company that provides solar power to homes, schools and businesses.
A Tesla motorcycle is another idea that has been discussed.
Brauer said "anything is possible" but he thinks Musk "would probably not want to spend a lot of time and resources on a niche product."
"He’s going to start chasing more higher volume solutions," Brauer said.
After Musk's tweet on Monday, the news subsequently caused Tesla's stock to jump 3 percent in the afternoon. The CEO fired back at critics earlier this month who said he used Twitter to move Tesla's stock price, writing that the short term spike "obviously does no good for Tesla or me."
He added: "Neither I nor the company are selling shares. Even if we were, I wouldn't do this. It would be wrong. Our long term results are what matter."
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