PowerWall and "The Missing Piece..." Event

[dhanson865]

Powerwall comes in 10 kWh weekly cycle and 7 kWh daily cycle models. Both are guaranteed for ten years and are sufficient to power most homes during peak evening hours. Multiple batteries can be installed together for homes with greater energy needs.

So the 7 kWh is actually more robust as it sees more cycles per week.

 

[FluxCap]

Loving this.

$350/kWh for the light duty backup power model and ~$430/kWh for the high duty deep cycler, which is much more akin to the requirements of the utility packs. Anything in the $500/kWh price range for utility applications is a game changer and will instantly make Tesla the dominant player in the industry (which is frankly what we expected years ago when discussing this).

CAPOP!!! Good to see you man, don't be such a stranger.

 

[ChrisH]

Wow: powering the world...estimates to the stock pre announcement were $30 to $100 per share ... we will see tomorrow if we get a gap up.

Potential is huge, but will the average consumer look into it if they don't really know how it works?

 

[Sosius]

Pardon my slowness, but how would this work for someone like me? I do not have solar panels on my home. How would this benefit me?

For backup power in the event of a power outage. Or, if you are on time-of-day pricing for your power, you can charge at night when power is cheap, and discharge during the day when power prices are 2-3x higher. Presumably there will be a software solution for this.

 

[ChrisH]

You're application would be charging up from the grid and if there were a power outage, having backup power. Also if you had access to a variable rate plan, you could charge your Tesla Powerwall at a time when your utility rates are lowest and then use the battery to minimize your load during peak power prices.

Thank you. Do you have solar here in the NW?

 

[Larken]

Very nice. Met my expectations. It was interesting, he really treated it as a chance to zoom out and remind us of the big picture.

I agree, totally happy with the presentation. And for those saying Elon was "weird" on stage or whatever, I think he did great, made me laugh on several occasions and most importantly, he did a great job explaining the future of energy in the world and Teslas role in it.

 

[joefee]

And then it was over. I feel a bit letdown. He was not himself today. Maybe a bad day for him..

No ... that is "normal" for Elon (always burning the candle at both ends (Space X/Tesla) SCTY and saving the world for added measure!

 

[yobigd20]

I reserved. I'll probably stack up 9 of the 7kW units.

 

[Lloyd]

Yes, BUT..... There is still a missing piece! It does not include your service disconnect, OR the DC to AC inverter. These items and integration with your existing home can be expensive, compared just to the cost of the battery alone.

They need to integrate this idea with the power of the battery you have in your car. They have the ability to tap the DC battery directly from the existing plug, just like a supercharger. They just have to work out the details to prevent owners from supercharging, then going home or to work and using the supercharged power to run the office or home.

 

[mochouinard]

Sadly this doesn't include everything... Seem like Elon said it included the inverter (AC to DC) but the press kit say it doesn't... So I'm a bit confused about it. It just a battery or not...

 

[Nubo]

Pardon my slowness, but how would this work for someone like me? I do not have solar panels on my home. How would this benefit me?

Power-shaving is one possibility. If your utility offers significant discounts for off-peak power, you could charge your batteries at off-peak rates and then consume the discounted power when rates are higher.

 

[austinEV]

Pardon my slowness, but how would this work for someone like me? I do not have solar panels on my home. How would this benefit me?

It makes the most sense in conjunction with a solar installation. if you have super reliable grid power with no demand charge gouging you aren't going to see a big benefit. This is for people who want solar but hate the "gap" where most of the generation happens when they are at work and don't need it, or people who have punitive demand charges at night, or people who don't have reliable power at all, or people who just really like the idea of being offgrid.

 

[James Anders]

Straight from Steve Jobs playbook

He has loooong way to go to become half the speaker that Jobs was. It's something he should really work on.

 

[eloder]

Pardon my slowness, but how would this work for someone like me? I do not have solar panels on my home. How would this benefit me?

Replacement for a generator with no need for fuel. Whole home UPS. Higher power quality for internal electronics. Ability to eliminate peak energy usage costs (store electricity at 5 cents per kwh, use at 40 cents per kwh).

It's a lot better for solar panel users, and huge huge huge huge for businesses and utilities.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Not sure why SolarCity wasn't mentioned in the press kit but, they are all over this:

A breakthrough in the affordability of Solar Battery Systems

Backup Power Supply – Home Battery Backup System – SolarCity

 

[austinEV]

I agree, totally happy with the presentation. And for those saying Elon was "weird" on stage or whatever, I think he did great, made me laugh on several occasions and most importantly, he did a great job explaining the future of energy in the world and Teslas role in it.

He was essentially being "nice heckled" by the crowd. They were shouting out crap and distracting him. He did fine, especially for Elon. he has had MUCH worse performances.

 

[Todd Burch]

This is all great, but...

Elon and company missed an opportunity here to show how this benefits a typical homeowner. I'm not talking about how it's beneficial technically (balancing the grid, storing solar at night, etc.). I'm talking about how it financially benefits a homeowner. They should have had some examples in their presentation about how a typical homeowner could come out ahead by getting this system. It costs me $3500+installation. OK. How much do I save over its lifetime?

Without that aspect, I was left thinking that people who are educated on renewable energy will see the benefits, but the benefits won't translate to the masses. Maybe they don't need it to translate to the masses for a long while, since they will likely be production-constrained for years to come. But regardless, it's a missed opportunity in that respect.

I'd suggest that many in the press will be left with similar questions.

I come away from this thinking that Tesla makes great, world-changing products, but doesn't do a great job presenting them.

 

[Blurry_Eyed]

Thank you. Do you have solar here in the NW?

I dont personally have an install right now, but with this type of solution, I may finally get a solar panel system installed. I don't have access to a variable rate power plan (that I know if) with Puget Sound Energy, but I would still like to get this to do my part to balance the load on the grid as well as have backup power for times when we have windstorms that take our our power lines.

 

[joefee]

Good to chat with everyone...good night !

 

[CapitalistOppressor]

What is going on with the distinction between the 7kWh "Daily cycle" and 10kWh "backup applications"?

Depends on whether they are using a different battery chemistry. If they are the same cells, then likely the cycler battery has much more robust controllers/cooling/components/software, etc.