Tesla wants to sell electricity to Texans
Tesla wants to sell power directly to Texas households, according to an application filed with state regulators by its new Tesla Energy Ventures subsidiary.
The venture, first reported by Texas Monthly, comes as Tesla already is constructing large energy storage facilities, including one near Houston, that could function on the scale of an energy utility. But its Aug. 16 application with the Texas Public Utility Commission signals its intent to become a retail electricity provider.
Tesla founder Elon Musk, who moved to Texas last year, has told investors he expects the company's energy business to one day rival its auto manufacturing, according to Bloomberg. He wants to turn Tesla into multifaceted clean energy company, and purchased the financially strapped solar panel provider Solar City to forward those ambitions.
For Texas, any significant expansion by Tesla could help diversify the state's energy mix, which is dominated by oil and gas. The limitations of the state's regulatory environment were on display earlier this year when a cold snap knocked out power for weeks across the state.
-- The Washington Post
DoorDash, Grubhub face Chicago suits
CHICAGO -- Chicago officials on Friday accused DoorDash and Grubhub of harming the city's restaurants and their customers by charging high fees and through other deceptive practices when delivery and takeout business became essential to the industry during the covid-19 pandemic.
The city officials believe their lawsuits against the delivery companies are the most sweeping of their kind brought by a city.
"It is deeply concerning and unfortunate that these companies broke the law during these incredibly difficult times," Mayor Lori Lightfoot said in a statement.
Representatives for the two companies called the lawsuits filed Friday in Cook County Circuit Court "baseless."
According to the lawsuits, the companies advertise delivery services for restaurants without their agreement, hurting the businesses' reputation when customers are unhappy about the cost or service.
City investigators also found that both charge higher prices for items than restaurants set on their own menus and charge more in total fees than initially disclosed to customers.
A spokesman for DoorDash called the suit "baseless" and a spokesman for Grubhub said the company was disappointed by Lightfoot's decision.
-- The Associated Press
State index climbs to 670.71, up 12.05
The Arkansas Index, a price-weighted index that tracks the largest public companies based in the state, closed Friday at 670.71, up 12.05.
The index was developed by Bloomberg News and the Democrat-Gazette with a base value of 100 as of Dec. 30, 1997.