TrueCar claims to be an “automotive solutions provider.” Like many of its competitors, TrueCar provides car sales data online. With an impressive list of data providers, TrueCar charges dealers at the time the TrueCar customer lead becomes a confirmed sale. The TrueCar-dealer contractual arrangement guarantees that dealer quotes are honored. The seeming transparency of their…
Begun in 2008, a year after SunRun, Sungevity uses a proprietary iQuote system to evaluate the appropriate system configuration, without having to make house visits. The system accesses satellite imagery as well as utility information directly and then prepares the offer. The financing arrangements are similar to those of SunRun. Their network of independent installers…
Founded in the Bay Area of California in 2006, SolarCity now covers 11 states with solar solutions for residential and industrial applications. They offer many of the same financing arrangements as their competitors; however, they have an extensive in-house staff of Engineers and installers who provide customized design and installation services. They are able to…
Begun in 2007 by cofounders Ed Fenster and Lynn Jurich, Stanford University colleagues, SunRun is a finance company that leases solar panels to residential owners. The company handles all of the purchase, installation and maintenance of the solar system through a network of local providers. The twenty year finance arrangements lock in energy costs for…