Elon Musk says Tesla will unveil a new kind of battery to power your home

[Victorious Secret]

 

The eccentric CEO said the product will be ready for production in a matter of months

 

 

Musk, being Musk. Bringing about crazy power methods that benefit the consumer AND piss off the established utility companies. I love this mans dedication to wrecking the status quo in the industry. 

 

This idea isn't new, Toyota allows you to use one of their fuel cell vehicles to power your home as well, and that is reported to provide almost a week of power at full charge, so imagine something even larger (that can be charged just like any Tesla currently can be charged). I'd bet he's going to push for solar integration alongside these high capacity batteries for home use, and I'm pretty excited to see the solution he comes up with. 

@Slick, do I sense home renovations involving Tesla batteries in your near future? 

 

 

Tesla didn't ship nearly as many cars this quarter as it had projected, but CEO Elon Musk remained upbeat during today's earnings call as he he let some details slip about a brand new product. According to Musk, the company is working on a consumer battery pack for the home. Design of the battery is apparently complete, and production could begin in six months. Tesla is still deciding on a date for unveiling the new unit, but Musk said he was pleased with the result, calling the pack "really great" and voicing his excitement for the project.

 

What would a Tesla home battery look like? The Toyota Mirai, which uses a hydrogen fuel cell, gives owners the option to remove the battery and use it to supply electrical power to their homes. That battery can reportedly power the average home for a weekwhen fully charged. Employees at many big Silicon Valley tech companies already enjoy free charging stations at their office parking lot. Now imagine if they could use that juice to eliminate their home electric bill. A more practical application for your car would be a backup generator during emergencies, which is how Nissan pitches the battery in its Leaf.

 

On an earnings call last year Musk had laid out his ambition to make something that would live in consumers' homes, instead of their cars. "We are trying to figure out what would be a cool stationary (battery) pack," Musk said. "Some will be like the Model S pack: something flat, 5 inches off the wall, wall mounted, with a beautiful cover, an integrated bi-directional inverter, and plug and play."

 

 

http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/11/8023443/tesla-home-consumer-battery-elon-musk

[wolfgang]

It would be neat to have a large battery backup in homes. No worries about power outages. While its not a new idea just because Musk is involved means it should be promising and an improvement over the current systems being used.

[dlf]

Perhaps use solar panel (on and around the house) to power that battery, act like a UPS?

[Admiral Naismith]

Heads up to dark-theme users, there is text that you can't see in that quote.

I almost missed it like a derp.

 

It would be nice to have a back-up that didn't use gas or take up a small closet.

 

Elon Musk is like the good parts of Edison with the skill of Tesla.

 

Still not as bad-ass as Telsa though.

 

Just saying.

[ionbasa]

This is an interesting idea. For those who have continuous battery backup already (due to solar), it may not be as cost effective. But for those who do not have solar, natural gas, or whole house battery backup units, it is an interesting concept, especially if you can charge up for free and then drive home. 

 

The only thing I'm worried is appliances that draw a high amount of current, such as with induction cooktops, electric ovens, and people who use electrical heating systems in their homes (such as for hot water). Those high draw appliances would probably kill the battery in the car in a matter of 1-2 days if used frequently.

 

And PS: not all utilities are 'bad' as you claim. My power company was ecstatic to find out that we were upgrading our service to net metering for solar, they even subsidised the cost. As a matter of fact, its still part of an ongoing remodel on the house. We had our overhang wires moved in underground conduit. 300 ft of aluminum wire and labor for them to hook up the new service was a flat $500.

You can also get rebates and discounts for having energy efficient appliances such as Air Handles/AC/HVAC/Central Heating, Boilers/Instant hot water systems and even for installing HE appliances such as dishwashers and clothes washing machines.

[emille26]

We have a 5 kw solar system on my parents house, during the middle of the day the house sells power back to the grid. something like this would reduce my parents bill to essentially zero. I am definitely excited to see what they reveal.

[Toddwjp]

id rather seem some more investment in green tech for actual production rather then storage from tesla now

[lutewan]

u know most houses that off the grid have battery banks

[Ethnod]

Well must is just a genius. I mean I know he is not the one coming up with ALL the ideas his companies have but regardless he is the mind behind it all, the one financing, powering, hiring and inspiring these people. Plus he has some amazing ideas himself

 

 

u know most houses that off the grid have battery banks

 

I'd actually imagine that most houses that are off the grid actually do not have battery packs. Most houses off the grid are in places like Alaska or other extreme areas like that where Sun is not abundant or 3rd world countries where solar panels and battery packs are a luxury most cant afford and up until a few years ago were not efficient enough.

[lutewan]

Well must is just a genius. I mean I know he is not the one coming up with ALL the ideas his companies have but regardless he is the mind behind it all, the one financing, powering, hiring and inspiring these people. Plus he has some amazing ideas himself

 

 

 

I'd actually imagine that most houses that are off the grid actually do not have battery packs. Most houses off the grid are in places like Alaska or other extreme areas like that where Sun is not abundant or 3rd world countries where solar panels and battery packs are a luxury most cant afford and up until a few years ago were not efficient enough.

i really dont like you enymore ...

let me rephrase that, most houses that are off the grid and have solor panels already have battery banks

having a battery in your house is nothing new

their just making a better one nothing mind blowing about this

[emille26]

i really dont like you enymore ...

let me rephrase that, most houses that are off the grid and have solor panels already have battery banks

having a battery in your house is nothing new

their just making a better one nothing mind blowing about this

 

I think its more important that when Elon Musk gets involved it becomes a standard consumer good, rather than a specialized thing that only a few people are doing. The price of solar panels has dropped so much in the past 5 years, if they keep going down and Musk reveals an afforable battery pack, putting this on your house will become the norm, rather than a fringe thing