Tesla’s pickleball racket sparks controversy.

Tesla’s pickleball racket costs $350. Photo: Selkirk .

On December 12th, Tesla introduced a $350 (approximately 9 million VND) pickleball racket to the market, developed in collaboration with Selkirk, a sports equipment company. The racket is made from carbon fiber with a foam core, optimized for high-performance competition.

The developer stated that this was a genuine technical collaboration, not just branding. “Tesla’s design team and our R&D team spent over a year exchanging data, refining geometry, and testing the durability of prototypes,” said Tom Barnes, Selkirk’s director of research and development, in a product launch press release.

Barnes met with members of Tesla’s engineering team at the 2023 US Pickleball Championship. A Selkirk spokesperson said the idea for the racket was conceived during a conversation that took place there.

Selkirk’s leadership team visited Tesla’s California factory after Barnes gifted them a batch of personalized pickleball rackets themed after the company. There, they connected with Javier Verdura, Tesla’s global product design director and a pickleball enthusiast. The design process officially began.

The prototypes were then sent to Tesla for aerodynamic testing before the design was finalized. According to spokesperson Selkirk, this limited-production batch of rackets sold out on Tesla’s website in less than 3 hours after launch. It remains unclear whether there are plans for resale in the future.

Pickleball is becoming a popular networking event for tech professionals in the US. Photo: Selkirk.

The pickleball racket is seen as Tesla’s first foray into the traditional, non-electric sports equipment market. Prior to this, the automaker already had a portfolio of fashion and household products, such as beverages (from $30 ), backpacks (from $185 ), and spice jar sets ( $65 ).

Other business ventures by Elon Musk have also heavily capitalized on branded collectibles. A prime example is The Boring Company’s flamethrower collection, which caused a sensation in 2018.

Tesla’s lifestyle products are not treated as a separate category in its financial reports. There is currently no indication that they have a significant impact on the company’s financial performance.

Pickleball has boomed globally in recent years, particularly in the US. According to a report by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA), the number of participants has increased by 311% in the last three years.

During that period, the sport transformed into a networking activity for professionals in Silicon Valley. As many tech figures like Bill Gates and celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio embraced pickleball, high-end products gradually emerged and expanded their market.

Some Selkirk racket models start at $150 and up, while higher-end models like the Aero Blade 1.19 are priced from $299 . The Aero Blade uses a carbon fiber frame with a foam core, similar to the construction of the Tesla collaboration version.

The Tesla pickleball racket has generated mixed reactions on social media. Some fans of the brand believe it’s a clever gift for the holiday season.

Others argue that Selkirk deliberately partnered with a brand unrelated to pickleball to inflate the price. “Tesla fans will probably buy up all these rackets. It’s a bold strategy, but it’s unclear if it’s worth it,” wrote Jimmy Miller, a pickleball player and host of the “King of the Court” podcast, on X.

Source: https://znews.vn/vot-pickleball-cua-tesla-gay-tranh-cai-post1611344.html