Tesla to sell home battery packs.

[mtdoc]

The low tech requirements of lead acid battery maintenance with nothing more needed than a hydrometer has it's advantages - but as you imply  the vigilance needed to do this correctly and get a 10 year lifespan out of your batteries can be a challenge.

Although - I'm always in favor of lower tech solutions to problems when they exist, what has impressed me the last few years as I've become more familiar with lithium batteries through my ebike and more recently a Chevy Volt - is that with a fairly simple but robust BMS, the charge/discharge efficiency and ability to withstand multiple deep discharges without any significant loss in capacity is a real breakthrough.

There are Tesla's, Chevy Volts, and Nissan Leafs now with many years and thousands of cycles on them without any noticeable loss of usable capacity. The demands place on a EV battery pack are far greater than an off-grid home.

With the well designed, reliable and intelligent electronics that the EV makers have developed, these battery packs are about as idiot proof as anything. The 8 yr/100,000 mile warranties offered speak to the reliability.

Looking at what's on the web, it does look like Tesla is going to be marketing this to grid tie solar and has already been using such systems in Solar city.  As Ryan pointed out it looks like they've partnered with Schneider in that case.

My hope though is that along with all this will come some "bare bones" plug and play type battery packs (with integrated bms) that can be used in existing off grid or grid tie with back up systems to replace aging lead acid banks.  If they can get the pricing down to compete with lead acid on a kWh/lifespan basis and have compatible pack voltages  then it will be a very attractive alternative IMHO.

[Garret]

Hey, I posted this on on Feb 12
http://midnitesolar.com/Forum/index.php?topic=2350.0

[Garret]

I have an e-bike too.  Thanks for the idea. Now not only can I tell my tree-hugger friends at work that I am drinking solar powered coffee but also ride a solar bike!
I'm thinking of purchasing a plugin hybrid as a place to put any excess solar to work.  A drivable battery bank would be much more fun than a stationary one.  Problem is that the all electric mileage (endurance) figures are disappointing and the those that do well such as the Tesla are a little too pricey.

[mtdoc]

Have a look at the Volt. If your daily driving distance is less than 30-40 miles you may use little or no gas.  I've burned 8 gallons in 4,000 miles so far. You really get the best of both worlds - without the range anxiety of a pure EV.   I never thought I'd own a Chevy - but the Volt is a great car.

My Volt has a 17kWh battery- with about 12 kWh accessible. Though I haven't done it yet - it is easy to hook a small (up to 2000W) 12V inverter to it.

[CDN-VT]

Ha - Honey flow - that's great!  I'm sure it's legit...
You do realize Tesla's battery packs are already well proven. Right?
Tesla's a 25 Billion dollar company - just a tad above the Kickstarter crowdfunding level.

Yes , I do .
The Honey post was a funny (in my eyes) as to the april fools joke on a new battery just invented etc.

Let's hope this Tesla home based battery works out , but for myself , Im sticking to old school till the bugs are all sorted .

Whats your Volts replacements battery worth ? I've seen the yotas price has dropped from the orignal 6 grand .


VT

[mtdoc]

Whats your Volts replacements battery worth ? I've seen the yotas price has dropped from the orignal 6 grand .

The truth is I don't think anyone knows.  There's been wildly varying estimates of what the replacement would cost. Apparently one GM parts website lists it for something like $2500 but that seems way too low. I've seen unrealistic (likely politically motivated) guesses that have put it at $30K. Since I paid about that for my new 2014 Volt I know that's not right...

Given the 8 yr 100K mile warranty it will likely be a while before there's any kind of realistic market to sort out the true price. 

[mtdoc]

Well not to get to far off to the side :

These guys  got a kickstarter campaign starting next week.
there's a youtube video : http://www.honeyflow.com/   Or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_pj4cz2VJM
and foxnews coverage Tap honey like beer with revolutionary hive filter invention | Fox News
http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2015/02/17/tap-honey-like-beer-with-revolutionary-hive-filter-invention/

Now if you how honey is made & why , this seems to be a selling hoax to me.

Well I was skeptical about this but then I saw this new video that shows how it works.  I'm actually much less skeptical now. Seems like a well thought out and engineered idea. If it really does work -I"m sure it will not be long before it is widely adopted.

[Westbranch]

MTdoc, I too saw that new video and I was really impressed, so much that I (think I ) managed to purchase a 1/2 super kit.  It was almost sold out in a few hours... by the time I got back to the home page screen they (the one I ordered) were gone gone!  Just buzzing off the hive!...  pardon the pun..

[CDN-VT]

please let me know how that works for you guys .
This is somewhat like A solar  myth .

YOU NEED to feed the bees over winter & it is the honey or your wallet honey !!

Some get 10% out of a hive MAX , suck all the honey out & the hive dies from starvation ..

Remember Gentlemen , if its too good , it's a fool & his money . As we all have learn't with this venture also .
Good marketing , we get 20-40 plus hives set on the farm & im just told whats the about info , Not really involved.
But we do purchase the honey thats extracted.

VT

Edit , I can't spell worth my school taxes

[Westbranch]

OK a  little BK (beekeeping) info.  Up here we  leave a hive with ~ 80 - 100 # of honey for the winter and also supplement in the fall with medication for aa couple of aliments that can take down a hive slowly over winter.  The most I ever got was 500# per hive with a lot of management!  I avg ~ 150 - 20# per year per hive.  some years I have no die off and others 100
5 , mostly dependent on a spring (M or A) blast of Siberian cold air...  they cant survive a +5 to -20C temp change overnight...

So a good BK does not rob his hive, though in  the old days the commercial guys would just kill off the hives and take everything...

hth

[CDN-VT]

hth's
Well yes it has WB
The gent who brings in the hives only give us little bits of info & ask's when the spraying will happen so he either moves the hives out  or ??
It was at a local show he had a hive with them feeding on (sugar ?) and said that the hive had not produced that year ..

So seeing that Hive & the way it works , you think that is a real possible tool?? and the honey will just flow out ?
One size can't fit all Im assuming & they are only in collecting funds right now ,  Here's a copy of their patent application.  Basically, the cells of the comb are broken up in to vertical strips so that they can be moved up and down relative to each other and grind the honey cells.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20140370781.pdf

Seeing the date on their patent application and the letters from users ? or they let the secret out before the patent application was applied for make's me wonder also.

Another Gent who had a patent before saying much : http://youtu.be/0nuDcYcrbTU?t=49s

Lets hope it's not a scam then , SO WB did you buy one or put money forward hoping to receive one .



VT

Add a good link on Bees : http://www.aces.edu/pubs/docs/A/ANR-0135/ANR-0135.pdf
No Birds as of yet   It's a ggod read of info , JFI   vt

[Westbranch]

did you buy one or put money forward hoping to receive one

Time will tell, waiting for the mail, till then lots of solar work, etc to do...

[Westbranch]

back on topic.

Just read this on an RSS feed:

Tesla Motors also plans to generate its own electricity using solar panels to power its $5 billion Nevada Gigafactory, which the automaker expects to complete in 2017.

so the batteries are a ways away time wise , for us to buy...

[Halfcrazy]

Wow the Flow hive seems like a great idea? As long as you leave the appropriate amount of honey in there to over winter it seems like it should work just fine? The wife has wanted bees for ever maybe I better throw some money into the crowd funding

[Westbranch]

Ryan, send me an email about the flow hive, I can advise a bit about some of the periferals oyu will need, etc