Is it time to cancel my power wall?

[Brentt]

I am an original day one reservation holder with a $500 deposit. Since then, the only communication with Tesla was over a year ago when they said they would begin installations in my area by the end of the year, which turned out to be false because they thought I lived in Oregon not Oklahoma. By doing some research, I discovered a local third party seller and was offered to purchase a power wall through them, but only if I purchased solar, and not at the price I was given when I made my deposit. I really want the power wall, and prefer to buy direct, but there is no indication from either the web site, or Tesla, they will be making them available in my area anytime soon.

 

[PhatCat]

I'm in the same boat. I got a brief bout of excitement last year when they called to say they were beginning to install in my area. Turns out they were referring to my NY address whereas the Powerwall reservation clearly had the Hawaii address. I'm a day 1 reservation holder for the Tesla solar roof tiles but after multiple attempts, I can't get a single response about that. I also had a quote for installation of solar panels but it seems that they are no longer installing in my area.

If I don't hear soon I will be forced to go with competitors. After abysmal delivery and service experiences with my model S and model 3 I can only conclude that the entire company is run by amateurs. It's a shame because I like the vision and the products but I dread dealing with the company.

 

[nyprepper]

hey PhatCat, if you ever decide to get an install in Westchester the Tesla office servicing the Hudson Valley is top notch. The crew that did my install in October was awesome and they advised that supply has pretty much finally caught up with demand in this geography. I waited about 6 months from time of order (both solar and PW's).

 

[Rockster]

I blew off Tesla/Solar City after tons of delays and poor communication and, more notably, when I found a local company that did my rooftop solar for $2/watt. They can also provide a Power Wall, though I haven't yet done that. The company that did mine might do an install in Tulsa, too. PM me if you want additional details.

 

[PhatCat]

hey PhatCat, if you ever decide to get an install in Westchester the Tesla office servicing the Hudson Valley is top notch. The crew that did my install in October was awesome and they advised that supply has pretty much finally caught up with demand in this geography. I waited about 6 months from time of order (both solar and PW's).

Good to know. Thanks.

 

[JLFORBES]

I am an original day one reservation holder with a $500 deposit. Since then, the only communication with Tesla was over a year ago when they said they would begin installations in my area by the end of the year, which turned out to be false because they thought I lived in Oregon not Oklahoma. By doing some research, I discovered a local third party seller and was offered to purchase a power wall through them, but only if I purchased solar, and not at the price I was given when I made my deposit. I really want the power wall, and prefer to buy direct, but there is no indication from either the web site, or Tesla, they will be making them available in my area anytime soon.

"the only communication with Tesla was over a year ago"

Have you called them lately for an update? I was in the same situation and when I finally got in touch with them I was told that Tesla would not install solar panels on my house, because of my type of tiles, and I was given the information of a local authorized installer. They installed solar panels and installed 2 PowerWalls. I cancelled my reservation for the batteries and received back my deposit.

 

[Uncle Paul]

It is not unusual for Tesla to go dark, right until they can perform. Then you will start to get communications again.

Believe this is because he got tired of his kids in the back seat continously asking "are we there yet" : >)

 

[Vines]

We have installed over 175 Powerwalls (both 1 and 2) all over the Bay Area. Unfortunately I don't know anything about availability where you are. Hope the other posters can help.

 

[Brentt]

We have installed over 175 Powerwalls (both 1 and 2) all over the Bay Area. Unfortunately I don't know anything about availability where you are. Hope the other posters can help.

Thanks for the info. Can you give me an idea of what to expect price wise? I'm being quoted $12,500 for one power wall, installed.

 

[Vines]

That's a pretty reasonable price, it heavily depends on local labor rates, and how much you need to rework the electrical system to accomplish either partial or whole home backup.

 

[Brentt]

That's a pretty reasonable price, it heavily depends on local labor rates, and how much you need to rework the electrical system to accomplish either partial or whole home backup.

Thanks. The power wall will be replacing my current generator which only supplies partial power.

 

[roblab]

Yup, I'm back in the power wall lineup. They contacted me a few days ago and I am expecting contract information in the mail. I'm getting two. With PG&E thinking about bankruptcy it's more and more like a good idea. They are priced at $6700 each according to my research, plus install which could vary. My site is right next to my circuit breaker box on a blank wall. Shouldn't be hard.

 

[Shygar]

Mine installed from Tesla was $7400 for a single powerwall 2 with minimal rework required.

 

[Vines]

$7400 is a great price, Nice job!

 

[Brentt]

Mine installed from Tesla was $7400 for a single powerwall 2 with minimal rework required.

This is where I get confused. I thought Tesla would be the sole supplier and installer with no middle-man, but it appears they are also partnering with third party installers. If the cost from Tesla is $5000 less, why would I want to go with a third party?

 

[SSonnentag]

Hang in there with your reservation. I placed my order and deposit for 3 Powerwall 2s way back in October 2016. Last week I finally got an installation date scheduled, February 6 & 7. It's been a long wait, but there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel.

Grand total with installation: $19,440 ($6,480 each)

 

[nyprepper]

Brentt, I paid $14,450 for two PW's with installation from Tesla ... signed contract before the price increase May 2018, install was in October 2018. I also went with the PW's as an alternative to a backup generator. I was originally going to get just the PW's but I ended up adding a 6.5kwh solar array on the roof too. You will absolutely love it. We've had 9 separate grid outages since our install and the lights don't even blink...and with the solar I can probably keep bare essentials running indefinitely.

 

[NuShrike]

This is where I get confused. I thought Tesla would be the sole supplier and installer with no middle-man, but it appears they are also partnering with third party installers. If the cost from Tesla is $5000 less, why would I want to go with a third party?

For the SGIP rebate. 3rd party installers still have/had access to higher-tiers of the rebate while Tesla has exhausted most if not all of the tiers.

If you don't care about the rebate, of course go first-party with Tesla.

 

[jnt76]

Finally after 4 months of wait, two PW installed but not turned on since electric company didn't unlock the meter box. Took about 8 hours and the tech tried to convince me to not back up one of my AC unit. I guess more work for him but I made sure that he did since it was part of the plan. Unit is right next to my electrical panels so no trenching. Can't wait to see if on next week. Finally price a little over 15K.

 

[Vines]

Congratulations on your new Powerwalls!
Not sure of your exact case, but one reason AC units can be problematic, is they have high startup currents. Its unlikely that 2
Powerwalls would start 2 average air conditioners simultaneously, unless they are very low LRA, or a soft start is installed. One normal sized AC alone probably will be fine with 2 of them.
Just know that in a power outage you might need to manually turn one of the ac off, especially if they are both trying to fire up at the same time.