Tesla chief executive Jose King introduced a new battery series designed to expand solar-
The power revolution in the next stage.
Only one problem: Tesla's new battery does not match the roof solar
At least not yet.
Even the Solar City, led by Musk, is not prepared to provide Tesla with daily-use batteries.
The new Tesla Powerwall home battery comes in two sizes-
7 KW and 10 KW (kWh)—
But these differences are beyond the chemical capacity of the battery.
The 7kWh version is made for daily use, while its larger version is only used as an occasional backup when power is out.
According to SolarCity spokesman Jonathan Bass, the design of the larger Tesla battery will not exceed 50 charging cycles per year.
Here's the interesting thing.
SolarCity, chaired by Musk, decided not to install 7kWh powerwall optimized for daily use.
The battery "has no real economic significance," Bass said, because most American governments allow it to be charged. S.
Solar customers sell additional power to the grid.
1 for customers in the largest SolarCity in the United StatesS.
The lack of 7 kWh options for roof installers means that it is impossible to install Tesla batteries behind the sun to expand solar power.
Want to use Tesla battery completely out of the grid?
Just wait.
"Our residential products are spare batteries," Bass said in an email . "mail.
Musk said on Tuesday's quarterly earnings call that demand for batteries was "out of control" and that 38,000 of bookings were Powerwall.
While storing residential power with Powerwall is still more expensive than grid power, he says, "it doesn't mean people won't buy it.
"The demand for new batteries, including for commercial and utilities, is so big that the company may need to consider expanding its $5 billion battery plant under construction in Nevada.
SolarCity only provides larger power walls for customers who purchase new roof solar systems.
Customers can pre-pay $5,000 including all fees to add 9-
Lease a year's battery to their system or buy a Tesla battery for $7,140. The10 kilowatt-
As far as the battery is concerned, the price of the hourly spare battery is competitive, and the price is half of some competitive products.
But if its sole purpose is to provide a backup power supply for the home, the juice it offers is just one bite.
The model outputs only 2 KW continuous power, which can reach the maximum limit by means of a vacuum cleaner, hairdryer, microwave oven or iron.
The battery is not strong enough to operate a pair of space heaters;
The whole family facing a power outage in the winter needs more power.
At the same time, it provides enough energy to run one or two small window air-conditioning devices in a sunny climate.
For more demanding applications, Tesla makes Powerwall batteries so they can beat the side of the stackby-side.
It looks like this: But SolarCity does not offer discounts on multiple batteries.
To provide the same 3,700 continuous power as the $16 KW universal generator at Home Depot, homeowners need 8 stacked Tesla batteries for $45,000 for 9 batteriesyear lease.
"This is a luxury --
Really cool-
But I don't see any economic debate . "smart-
Bloomberg New Energy financial technology analyst.
Yes, tesla's spowerwall is a cool technology with great disruptive potential.
As the cost of electricity continues to decline, electricity regulation in the United States continues to develop. S.
It will make more sense to have a home battery.
SolarCity said on Monday's earnings call that it plans to offer an off-site deal
Electricity prices in Hawaii are almost three times that in the United States. S. average. Andthe home-
The battery system is just one product in the new Tesla battery series.
The company also operates with big companies like Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart, Amazon, and even southern California electric and Texas Electricbased OnCor.
The economic arguments of the business system have the right incentives in the states, including battery subsidies and expensive electricity bills during peak hours.
Tesla now has a clear price advantage over its battery rivals.
But the Powerwall product that captures the public imagination has a long way to go before it makes sense for most people.
Even in Germany, which is rich in solar energy and has high electricity prices, including Tesla batteries, the economy of ordinary rooftop solar homes has not improved significantly, according to Bloomberg's analysis of New Energy Finance.
This does not stop car owners from buying Tesla's new batteries.
The Germans have bought thousands of storage systems at a much higher price. In the U. S.
According to Bass of SolarCity, the launch of the product prompted a record survey of potential new customers.
"People are very interested in the smell-free, non-noisy, completely clean backup power supply," he said . ".
According to BNEF's study, teslau may make very little profit on household batteries at this point and may even sell at a loss.
Both Tesla and SolarCity are just starting to try to gain some traction before Tesla's $5 billion battery plant starts production next year.
This is when the battery market becomes interesting. Update, 6:25 p. m. , May.