Tesla rumors point to battery designed to power an entire home

Tesla is synonymous with electric cars that have lots of luxury, emissions free driving range, and performance. Tesla CEO Elon Musk is always working on bringing new devices to market and recently he has hinted that the company is working on a new device to be unveiled soon. The new device isn't something to do with vehicles.

Musk tweeted that Tesla would have a new product to debut on April 30 and many believe that the new product will be a large battery that is designed to power a house during a blackout. Rumors also suggest that Tesla may have an even larger battery up their sleeves aimed at utility companies.

The idea is that the large battery can be charged up at night when power is the cheapest and then the power can be used when the electricity is out or during the day to power the home when electricity costs are higher. This battery for homes is said to be able to work in conjunction with residential solar panels and will act as a sort of large scale uninterruptable power supply similar to one you would use on your computer.

So far, the battery has been offered to 300 customers of SolarCity, a company that Musk is a shareholder in and acts as chairman of. This tip comes from an investment analyst who ran into customers using the Tesla battery at a trade show. These customers said that the battery comes in 10 and 15 kWh units and sells for around $13,000. The device is sold with a $1500 down payment and payments of $15 monthly for ten years. After that ten year period, the battery goes back to SolarCity.

SOURCE: The Guardian