A first look at the consumer-facing Powerwall from Tesla. (credit: Megan Geuss)
Tesla has begun shipping 7kWh stationary batteries—branded by Tesla as Powerwalls—to be installed on the homes of pilot customers. The 7kWh batteries are designed for daily cycling, so they’ll likely be attached to homes with solar panels, allowing owners to power their homes at night with power collected by solar panels during the day.
“Over the next few weeks, we will continue to ramp up volume production,” a Tesla spokesperson explained to Ars via e-mail, adding that 7kWh Powerwalls are initially being delivered to customers in North America, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Australia.
Tesla made headlines in April when it announced the stationary battery, mostly due to the battery’s price—at only $3,000, it’s considerably cheaper than other lithium-ion batteries its size. The battery can discharge 5 kilowatts during continuous use, a specification that was improved after the battery’s announcement—originally Tesla said the 7kWh battery would only discharge 2.2 kilowatts, but critics protested that the lower amount wasn’t enough to feed a household off the grid.
Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments