Elon Musk’s Tesla has applied to Ofgem for a licence to supply electricity to British homes and businesses. If approved, Tesla could challenge existing energy providers in England, Scotland, and Wales as early as next year.

• Tesla Electric already operates a power supply service in Texas, allowing EV owners to charge cheaply and feed surplus electricity back to the grid.
• The application was filed by Andrew Payne, who heads Tesla’s European energy operations.
• Tesla has sold over 250,000 EVs and tens of thousands of home storage batteries in the UK.
• The application comes as Tesla’s EV sales in Europe have declined, with UK registrations falling by almost 60% in July.