Tesla

[SerenityNigh]

If Tesla can sell these batteries at a profit and/or break even at $3500, I'm guessing that China can already do it for 1/2 the price.

I doubt he's breaking even. I'd guess this is proof-of-concept production.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Indeed--it's not a mature market yet. Some may even find opportunities to arbitrage price differential by selling back to the grid. In a few years, this and the related technologies will find a good fit.

Couple the changes in battery technology with the IoT based developments in home energy usage and it seems likely that our domestic energy usage will be much smarter (and self sufficient) in the coming years I suspect.

 

[Bruce Wayne]

I doubt he's breaking even. I'd guess this is proof-of-concept production.

Say what you like about guys like Musk, Bezos and Brin, but they're using the wealth they've made to invest in some pretty darn interesting punts.

 

[SerenityNigh]

We don't have peak/off-peak pricing where I live, but in California, PG&E sells summer energy at these rates:

$0.225 kWh
$0.253 kWh
$0.262 kWh

It doesn't look like their net metering is capped in price or quantity (though I CBA reading all of this), but assuming you could throughput your entire battery capacity in one night-day cycle, the arbitrage isn't as much as I'd initially thought it might be.

$0.262 kWh - $0.225kWh = $0.037 kWh X 10 kWh = $3.70 per day

A full year at the summer rate is $1,350. I'm not doing the math on winter rates, but I'd assume a year's energy trading would net you $750 (and the energy savings for personal consumption would be the same as pure arbitrage rates), so you're probably looking at a 4.67 year ROI (0% interest.)

 

[SerenityNigh]

Say what you like about guys like Musk, Bezos and Brin, but they're using the wealth they've made to invest in some pretty darn interesting punts.

That's what these types do; they're handsomely rewarded when they get it right, and the world benefits from the knowledge of their successes and failures both.

 

[wm02]

The solar/Tesla battery combination is definitely compelling. Going to need a lot of lithium I would imagine

 

[Baines' left foot]

I've been reading up on Musk and Tesla for a bit now, and I find what they're doing fascinating. Really interesting and potentially world changing stuff.

 

[Torontoblue]

Don't know about home batteries, but Tesla were/are a bloody great rock band

 

[rascal]

Amazing that Tesla is still going, he must be about 159 years old.

 

[Fresh Prince of Belle Val]

So is this positive or negative?

 

[Deleted member 28206]

So is this positive or negative?

Watt are you talking about?

 

[Fresh Prince of Belle Val]

Watt are you talking about?

I'm going to volt this post in 6 months time.

 

[Elong]

Watt are you talking about?

It's not his volt.

 

[Walken]

he made some boss defensive weapons on red alert

 

[Bruce Wayne]

Amazing that Tesla is still going, he must be about 159 years old.

Once you start him, he can't stop.