When, back in 2003, Tesla Motors co-founder Elon Musk said that he would prove that electric cars could provide instant torque, incredible power and zero emissions, almost everyone thought that the South African born inventor and investor had stayed in the sun for a bit too long. Five years later, the company launched their first car, the Tesla Roadster: this model, which went on to sell more than 2,400 units, could accelerate from 0 to 60mph in 3.7 seconds and had a range of 245 miles per charge of its lithium ion battery.
Things only got better: in 2012, Tesla launched Model S which, thanks to its incredible performance and an even bigger range than the Roadster, was the fastest four-door production car ever made. This year, another model, this time a crossover, will enter volume production, further strengthening the company’s mission to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable transport.
A decade ago, a lot of people dismissed Musk as a dreamer. Mind you, he still is – earlier this year, the billionaire entrepreneur said that he will shortly unveil his concepts for Mars colonisation using a transporter built by his spaceflight company SpaceX. But nowadays, whenever Musk speaks, the world listens, because his dreams are powering the world’s future.
And that’s what happened a few weeks ago when Musk, speaking at Tesla’s design studio in Los Angeles, US, said that he will change the way the world uses energy. Through the Tesla Energy scheme, Musk plans to offer versions of the batteries used in the Model S car to residential and commercial customers.
The plan has a beautiful simplicity that works. The Powerwall home battery will allow consumers to store energy they produce with a solar array. For home users, the Powerwall is available with seven or 10kWh of storage and will even allow consumers to get off the grid. The Powerwall is internet-connected and has an integrated DC inverter. For businesses, Tesla will offer the Powerpack unit, which comes with 100kWh of storage.
Musk’s plan also fundamentally changes the energy market. Today, electricity production is linked to consumption: utilities produce the electricity that is needed at any given moment. This means that power stations must be able to cater to maximum demand all the time, at a huge expense. With Musk’s battery-powered dream, utilities and customers will be able to store renewables and use as and when needed. This will enable them to cut down on their utility costs because whereas nowadays, consumers often sell surplus energy at wholesale prices only to buy it back at retail cost, with Tesla’s solution, they can hold on to it for later use.
The plan has a beautiful simplicity that works
Musk’s new product is off to a promising start. In just one week after launch, Tesla Energy received 38,000 reservations for the Powerwall, 2,500 for the Powerpack and 2,500 requests from companies that want to distribute the two products. The demand is such that Tesla Energy products are now sold out until the middle of 2016.
The idea of allowing consumers to store energy is not new. However, in recent years, it has become more feasible thanks to increased battery efficiency and cheaper batteries. In fact, it’s not just Musk who is nursing the dream of a battery-powered world. Earlier last month, the world’s first all-electric battery-powered ferry started operating on the Lavik-Oppedal route in Norway. The ferry, called the Ampere, can carry 120 cars and 360 passengers and can operate 365 days a year.
Last month, two battery-powered planes crossed the English Channel. First, independent French pilot Hugues Duval took his two-engine plane from Calais to Dover and back. Hours later, Airbus flew its electric plane, called the E-fan, across the English Channel. Airbus is planning to put its two-seater on the market in 2017. Of course, this is the first step as Airbus is imagining a future where commercial flight operates electric or hybrid planes.
Battery power is gaining on the ground but also at sea and up in the air. It doesn’t look like a battery-powered world is a dream after all.