Tesla Motors Debuts Batteries To Power Homes and Businesses | Edmunds.com

Edmunds.com

Tesla Motors Debuts Batteries To Power Homes and Businesses | Edmunds.com

Tesla Motors is expanding beyond building electric cars, unveiling batteries that can power homes and businesses.

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rdollie

Ummm.....really? I get why Tesla would like to sell more units to lower production costs for their cars but why would any consumer buy this??? If I need to run the heater or AC during a power outage, refrigerator, freezer, and satellite TV setup I'm going to need an average of around 2.5Kw per hour. A 10KwH Tesla battery will die after 4 hours and costs $3,500 + installation. For about 1/10 the cost I can go buy a portable generator from Harbor Freight or other places that will run all night (and I bet the transfer switch installation will be cheaper than the installation for this Tesla setup.)

The Tesla battery will certainly emit less pollution during use (but batteries are much less environmentally friendly to manufacture) and unlike my gas generator I won't feel guilty when my neighbors are sitting in the dark hearing my generator but I can't see these benefits overcoming the much higher costs of a Tesla home battery.

I imagine anybody who has enough power challenges to consider a Tesla battery (we get quite a few power outages due to ice storms in the Pacific Northwest) would be better served by a permanent whole-house natural gas generator installation (I've seen them for under $3k at Costco.)

I give Musk and Co. credit for thinking outside the box as usual but I don't think this one will go very far.