Tesla this week will unveil a brand new product that’s not a car, yet it’ll feature some of the same amazing energy technology found in its electric vehicles. According to hints coming directly from Tesla as well as many other reports from the media, the new product line includes home batteries that could power a house during blackouts, but also batteries that could be used in stores and other large facilities.
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A new report from The Guardian further details Tesla’s home battery, quoting a report from an analyst who had access to customers that were included in Tesla’s home battery tests.
Trip Chowdhry told the publication that one of these people had the battery operating in his house for more than a year. The battery costs “about $13,000,” and comes in two configurations, including 10 kwh and 15 kwh, though specific pricing details for each model aren’t given. Pacific Gas & Electric will reportedly offer buyers a 50% rebate for using the system.
The analyst revealed more details about payment options for the battery as well, saying that the customer would make an initial $1,500 payment, followed by $15 monthly payments for 10 years. At the end of this lease plan, the battery would be returned to SolarCity.
The battery can feed back energy into the grid, a previous report said, while offering basically the same details about the costs involved in buying a Tesla’s battery. Tesla is yet to confirm these numbers though.
The analyst believes Tesla’s home battery would be a no-brainer purchase for customers who are constantly connected to “the digital highway” and are looking to prevent power outages during blackouts.
“If you are a gadget person living a digital life – you have iPhones and computers and you always want to be connected – the storage battery is a dream come true,” Chowdhry said. “If you feel naked when you leave your iPhone at home, this is a product you can’t live without.”
The analyst also revealed that both Google and Apple already have Tesla battery backup systems in place at their campuses in California, but neither company officially commented on the matter. A recent report from Bloomberg said that Walmart is also testing Tesla’s home battery technology in at least one store in California.
