81–90 of 90 posts
Living in the north that -4 degree F lower operating temp limit makes me sad. Sure you could put it in a heated garage - but I bet this explains why no one up here owns a Tesla vehicle yet.
Up here in the Yukon everyone has their batteries inside, else they'd freeze.
Holy shit TSLA is going to go through the roof tomorrow.
I don't think the stock will be blow up again until we see sales and profit numbers for these new products.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
According to the EPA [1], an average home consumed 12,069kWh in 2012. So assuming a constant load, a 10kWh battery would power about 7.5 hours of usage. [1]: http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/pubs/calcmeth.htm
So if I'm reading this right - if I bought a Powerwall from Tesla and hooked it up to some solar panels, my power bill would DRASTICALLY decrease?
"enough solar panels" isn't exactly cheap though.
Serious question: Can anybody who's familiar with the energy storage field explain the nature and magnitude of the innovation here. Is this just a large lithium ion battery with some electronics added for charge/discharge control or is it a bigger deal than that? Perhaps the innovation is in packaging and productizing it for the various market segments?
The problem with storing electricity is it is expensive. The cost of this lithium-based solution finally is cost-competitive with lead-acid. Basically, when the Tesla's Gigafactory is completed (their battery factory, being built near Reno, and expected to be finished in 2017) means that Tesla will be the lowest-cost provider of lithium batteries. Unfortunately, the size of the factory also means that they will have enormous excess capacity. Unless that capacity is utilized, their costs will eat away at their revenues.
This is their answer to this situation: they have excess battery capacity, and costs that are about 1/2 that of their nearest competitor, and there is a growing need for energy storage.
The real target of this announcement, if you ask me, is ERCOT, the regulatory body governing the Texas power grid. In general, Texas has enough power generation capacity for average load days. Unfortunately, they are running out of power plants for peak power days. Traditionally, these were natural gas-fired generators, while "normal" load was handled by hydroelectric, coal, and nuclear (because natural gas used to be more expensive than the others, and also because natural gas generators can be turned on and off over the course of minutes instead of hours or days, like the others). However, as natural gas prices have dropped, most of these power plants that used to be used for reserve power have been reallocated towards baseline power--this is why Texas has enough baseline power generation capacity, but not enough peak power capacity. ERCOT released a study late last year that indicated that it would be cost effective for ERCOT to deploy regional battery storage devices instead of building new power plants to handle these peak power periods. According to financial estimates, ERCOT's power demands will result in >$4 billion/year in revenue for Tesla. Basically, it would appear that Tesla might end up making more revenue selling these solutions to power companies than they can selling cars to consumers.
All of this will lead to economies of scale, further driving down Tesla's costs and entrenching their position as the lowest-cost provider of battery storage. All of this also means that this battery becomes an attractive device for home use, as well. Basically, this is what a lot of people are thinking about when they talk about a "smart grid" that can push power back on the grid during peak demand times.
Here's a couple of articles about the ERCOT annoucement: http://www.texastribune.org/2014/12/15/state-law-could-short... http://www.eenews.net/stories/1060008712
Musk's delivery style is so refreshing compared to the Steve Jobs clones on every stage. He's knowledgeable, charming, funny. Great stuff.
I've watched maybe 7 videos about him. Musk is too eager to throw employees under the bus. It is this reason alone why I'd never buy a tesla.
The details are up on the site: http://www.teslamotors.com/presskit/teslaenergy The Powerwall is available in 10kWh, optimized for backup applications or 7kWh optimized for daily use applications. Both can be connected with solar or grid and both can provide backup power. The 10kWh Powerwall is optimized to provide backup when the grid goes down, providing power for your home when you need it most. When paired with s…
Meanwhile, in lead acid battery land, a Trojan T-105 is ~$150 for a 6 volt, 225 amp hour battery, which you might comfortably cycle 0.9kWh each day for 5+ years. Use 12 of them to match the 10kWh Powerwall and it only costs $1800, replace them at the end of 5 years and you have about the same cost as the 10 year Powerwall. Powerwall is several times smaller and lighter and presumably doesn't give off hydrogen gas whe…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
In the same way that very few people buy a $100,000+ Model S to save money on gas, early adopters of this product will be people who are a) well off and b) find the idea of converting their home to 100% renewable electricity appealing.
I certainly don't doubt there will some, but a battery stuck in the wall of your house isn't nearly as sexy and show-off-able as a sporty car.
The details are up on the site: http://www.teslamotors.com/presskit/teslaenergy The Powerwall is available in 10kWh, optimized for backup applications or 7kWh optimized for daily use applications. Both can be connected with solar or grid and both can provide backup power. The 10kWh Powerwall is optimized to provide backup when the grid goes down, providing power for your home when you need it most. When paired with s…
For context, how much does a typical household use? Assume a central A/C, 4 tv's, fridge, washing machine, etc.
Some funny definition of "typical household". The maximum I've seen in recent years is one TV per household, and the average way beneath that.
"Powerwall comes in 10 kWh weekly cycle and 7 kWh daily cycle models." Can somebody explain what "weekly cycle" vs. "daily cycle" means in this context?
The details are up on the site: http://www.teslamotors.com/presskit/teslaenergy The Powerwall is available in 10kWh, optimized for backup applications or 7kWh optimized for daily use applications. Both can be connected with solar or grid and both can provide backup power. The 10kWh Powerwall is optimized to provide backup when the grid goes down, providing power for your home when you need it most. When paired with s…
Meanwhile, in lead acid battery land, a Trojan T-105 is ~$150 for a 6 volt, 225 amp hour battery, which you might comfortably cycle 0.9kWh each day for 5+ years. Use 12 of them to match the 10kWh Powerwall and it only costs $1800, replace them at the end of 5 years and you have about the same cost as the 10 year Powerwall. Powerwall is several times smaller and lighter and presumably doesn't give off hydrogen gas whe…
Toll free: 1-888-905-2278
Our Location: 2933 Hwy 35 S, Lindsay, On K9V 4R4
Our Mailing address: 2 Peel St, Lindsay, On K9V 3L7)
He also has the Trojan T-105RE for $199 a piece.
Not sure if the advantage of the T-105RE is worth it.