Australians hankering after a Tesla Powerwall solar battery system will need to dig deeper into their pockets to buy one of the beasties.
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UPDATE: Since the March price rise detailed below, the cost of Powerwall went up again around mid-May 2022 to $14,650. That price includes supporting hardware, but doesn’t include installation.
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In late March, Tesla sent out a notification to certified installers stating that due to increasing global logistics and components costs, the recommended retail price of Powerwall was to be increased on the Tesla.com website by $950 (inclusive of GST) as of March 25, 2022.
The old vs. new pricing structure:
- Powerwall: $11,050 -> $12,000
- Gateway1: $1,700 -> no change
- Total: $12,750 -> $13,700
At $13,700, the Tesla Powerwall is currently the priciest it has ever been in Australia – and added to that are installation costs, which will pile on thousands more.
Powerwall Price Rollercoaster
When the original Powerwall 2 was released in February 2017, it was just $9,000 (approximate) in Australia. Here’s how pricing has tracked since:
- February 2018: $9,600
- October 2018: $12,250
- July 2019: $11,700
- October 2020: $12,500
- February 2021: $13,300
- May 2021: $12,750
- March 2022: $13,700
- UPDATE May 2022: $14,650
The Powerwall now costs over 50% more than it did back in 2017 when originally released here. Still, it remains one of the most popular battery systems in Australia. In the latest SolarQuotes Installers’ Choice Awards it was voted the best solar battery in 2022 in both the “money no object” and “budget” categories; the latter because it seems many installers can’t bear the thought of installing anything else.
High Prices Hinder Home Battery Uptake
According to information from solar industry analyst SunWiz, there were approximately 30,246 home battery installations last year in Australia – a small drop on 2020. SunWiz pegged the cumulative total of home batteries installed in Australia at around 140,000.
Early home battery uptake forecasts for Australia were very optimistic – and way off the mark.
While solar battery prices remain so high, this means in most circumstances they won’t pay for themselves within their warranty periods – making it an unattractive proposition for many households.
However, there is support for home energy storage purchases in some states and territories that can improve the economics to some degree. You can see what incentives are currently available (or not) in your neck of the woods on the SolarQuotes solar/battery rebates and subsidies page.
Tesla Model 3 Price Increase
Over to electric vehicles now, and the news from Tesla isn’t good there either. For Australians wanting a Tesla Model 3, they’ll also be shelling out more.
A couple of weeks ago, Tesla increased the price of Model 3 EVs by at least $3,000.
- Model 3 standard: $ 63,900
- Long range: $ 76,200
- Performance: $ 88,900
Drive-away pricing for the Performance model in SA is now $98,304. Australians won’t just be paying more, but waiting longer – with an estimated delivery time of 6 – 9 months.
Stay tuned for an article from SQ’s Ronald delving into why 1 in 10 new cars sold in the world are electric, but in Australia it’s just a little more than 1 in 50.
Footnotes
- The Tesla Gateway is the “brains” of the system, providing energy management and monitoring, time-based control, and backup operation. ↩
About Michael Bloch
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Unless someone else comes out with a better “Software Defined Battery”, I think Tesla will still be on top even if its another few thousand on the price.
The power of the Tesla comes from its flexibility to be managed, and not just an app but via an API connectable to any external system.
Government gives a $3000 rebate for going electric and Tesla increases their cars by $3000, coincidence ???
Musk keeps on filling his swollen pockets.
If he charged Tesla owners what he charges people for Powerwall batteries he would not sell many cars. A bit of a rip-off by one of the USA’s top oligarchs.
No wonder he won’t reveal what he charges for large scale battery installations.
Just got a quote from one of your recommended platinum solar installers around ACT and the Tesla 2 now costs a whopping $17990 installed.
Hi,
I have a Tesla powerwall2 installed, love it! I’m thinking of installing one more so I can be self sufficient and possibly go off grid. I have a 10KW solar system as well.
I plan to buy an EV and install a wall charger (zappi) then charge the EV from solar when the sun shines.
I wont to use the power from the solar instead of getting 10 cents FIT from Origin.
What do you think? Is it a good idea?
A good idea but…
You need to look at your consumption in July. In fact, find the worst possible week for weather, sunlight and high consumption in your records (bills and solar performance). Then build a system around that. Otherwise, you may end up with a flat EV and battery and need to break out the candles.
However, you then have the issue of curtailment when producing to much in Summer as you can’t export to the grid but as governments are doing this already to connected households, its probably not an issue.
(BTW, I’ve done all you have proposed except disconnect from the grid. The bottom line is 10kW is not enough for Winter)
Thanks Phil for your reply,
Going off Grid isn’t an option then. What ever the June/July consumption charge is I’m sure it will be made up in Aug-May.
Regards,
Warren.
When one looks at home battery options the standout is EV with V2h capabilities. I have 13.2kw of solar and produce 17500kw/h on average per year ,thats a lot going back into the grid. Why pay 34k for two Tesla batteries giving one storage of 27kw/h when a car with V2h capability is the clear option. From my understanding from 2025 all Ev’s will have that capability.
So a car with 64kw/h battery ie Nissan Leaf E+ Costing 64k in fact is costing you 30k if one subtracts the home battery price, and you get more storage.
Charging on off peak rates 18c kw/h at night and solar makes a lot more sense. Mr Musk won’t give his cars that option now I wonder why.
I will wait till 2025 and wait for V2h or V2G capability.