Elon Musk revealed on Friday Tesla’s long-expected battery products, with the hope they put an end to humanity’s production of carbon dioxide as a side effect of energy generation.
“No incremental CO2 is the future we need to have,” Musk said, during the product launch, stating that charging his new products with solar energy is the way to go.
There are two versions of the battery packs.
The Powerwall is intended for home use, is a rechargeable lithium ion battery boasting liquid thermal control and capacity of 10 kilowatt hours for US$3,500. In addition there is a 7 kWh version for $3000. Both deliver 2.0 kW continuously with a 3.3 kW peak. Tesla is offering a ten year warranty on the device and is willing to extend that by another decade.
The 10 kWH model is intended as a backup for when the grid goes down, while the 7 kWh model is suggested for daily loads. Up to nine Powerwalls can be connected into a single rig, which raises some interesting use cases.
The device can be installed inside or outside a home and is compatible with solar power systems. It even comes in several colours, in case you want Tesla’s logo and battery to become a part of your decor.
The Powerpack, its second offering, is aimed at large-scale installations. Musk said it can scale to gigawatt setups such as a group of wind turbines.
Musk displayed his usual optimism at the launch, as he proclaimed that all of humanity’s energy needs could be met by two billion Powerwalls. It’s not a crazy number, he said, because it’s about how many cars and trucks are currently in service. If he built 100 million a year converting humanity to battery power is a 20-year project.
Musk said the company will open-source the IP it is generating during the construction of its Nevada “Gigafactory” that will make the newly-announced batteries so that others will be free to build their own factories.
The Powerwall is available to order now now but shipments won’t start for three or four months. A slow trickle of devices will emerge in the first few month, before the Gigafactory goes online and brings with it a flood of them.
Stay Connected
