Tesla Powerwall?

[StuartGrows]

18k seems like gouging to me and it's probably a ploy to rip the wealthy off at the start (cause they'd like to be first with their shiny new green technology) then the prices will drop significantly once the initial hype is over.

I still remember talking to a sales rep at the Farmfest show thingy only about 4 or 5 years ago and getting quoted 16k for a 5kw system that cost us 8k a few years later. It's even less now!

The power wall will probably be the same - over priced to begin with then cheap as once competition comes in and they need more sales.

This is how Elon Musk tends to operate. The initial models are higher priced to help pay for the tooling, design and manufacturing process. That's why the Model S and X are expensive, to help pay for the Model 3 I am sure the PowerWall is similar.

 

[Mark]

Oh right... I can understand that.

The revolution in household electricity is coming!

 

[StuartGrows]

Yesssssss! I'm stoked.

 

[Mark]

 

[Berkeloid]

Interesting. They are making the mistake though of treating Tesla like any other company. It's not there to make a profit, it's there to shake up the industry and spur innovation. You can already see how many car companies are starting to deliver electric vehicles - none of that would have happened for years if not decades if it wasn't for Tesla showing the world that there's a market for them. Same thing with SpaceX - all the "old space" companies are struggling to survive because none of them can beat SpaceX on cost, because as with Tesla, they are developing things in a completely different way to what was considered the norm in that industry.

This is why everyone is so fond of Elon Musk and eager to see what he'll do next - because it will undoubtedly involve the shakeup of yet another stagnant industry and force the incumbents to start scrambling to stay relevant. At the end of it we end up with new and exciting (and possibly more affordable) things - and not necessarily from Musk's company - which is what really excites people.

I think Telsa and SpaceX are now in a very similar position to where Apple was in the early 2000s. Apple weren't the first to develop a portable music player, but they did it in such a different way with the iPod that they got everyone's attention. Tablet computers had been around for a decade before the iPad but it took Apple to show the world how they should work. And now even today, you have companies who don't understand the appeal releasing overpriced poorly designed products to complete with Apple and then wondering why they don't sell.

It will be interesting to see whether the other car companies will see what Tesla is really doing and genuinely compete, or whether they'll just slap an electric motor and a battery in one of their existing models and then wonder why nobody is buying it...

 

[Ash]

The solar roof tile sounds great on paper. It's the implementation that will be the trick. All the electrical wiring required to get all the generated electricity channeled into an inverter sounds mind boggling. Love the idea though. The tiles even look nice. But I'd watch the space rather than be an early adopter in this new technology.

 

[ClissAT]

Our own CSIRO has had a large input to developing alternative solar models such as material we can wear as clothing, roof tiles, bendable panels, etc.

One thing that happens with tiles I believe is that as you say, Ash, there are so many connections between all those tiles, that some fail & it can be a long process to discover the culprit connector.

 

[Ash]

Wireless technology will be key. but then when the wireless connection fails...

 

[stevo]

Maybe each tile could have a serial number (chip) and the main control unit would be able to tell you which one is broke.

 

[Ash]

Yes, that technology will probably appear in the 3rd or 4th generation of the tiles...
In the meantime, they must all be interconnected with wires and need a process of elimination to work out which one doesn't work...

 

[Mark]

Yep, and we'd have to pay for an expensive visit/call out fee from your local licenced solar energy expert to diagnose the issue.

Seriously though, I'd expect this type of solar tiles or paint etc when it does eventually hit mainstream will be refined enough to self-isolate and work around damaged cells - a bit like how a damaged pixel on a TV doesn't stop it from working.

 

[Daniel.Mav]

I got the testla powerwall with solar panels as a deal through metricon. If it didn't come with the house I probably wouldn't have gotten it as my last solar system did not give me enough return. Though the brochure does promise that 85% of power should come from the powerwall and not from the grid. If it works than I'll be very happy since I only paid $2000 total for the testla, wooden floors, render and ducted air-con.

 

[Ash]

How you would have gotten all of those high cost features for $2,000 is beyond me, but I'll be glad to hear if they could offer the same service where I am.

 

[Daniel.Mav]

Yeah the builder there said it was over $55k worth. Very happy with paying $2000 they also gave us $20k to spend on upgrades. Of course we will end up spending more but at least it helps.