Powerwall 3: Tesla quietly kicks off next gen home battery installs

There was big news in residential energy storage over the weekend, with installations of the latest home battery offering from Tesla, the Powerwall 3, kicking off in the US – albeit unofficially.

Photos and word-of-mouth reports – as is usually the way with Tesla – started emerging over social media on Friday, US time, showing the newest generation of the hugely popular Powerwall home battery out in the wild.

The photos reveal a more compact and arguably less sleek-looking home battery, that reports suggest has an integrated inverter. But with no official launch and no listing of the Powerwall 3 on the Tesla US website, changes to the specs of the new battery continue to be mostly speculation.

My best guess on the Powerwall 3 specs:

* 13.5 kWh storage
* 10kW power, excellent surge rating
* LFP
* Integrated solar inverter with 4 MPPTs for all but the most complex roofs
* not stackable
* very compelling if bought as part of a new solar system because you save $2000 on a…

— SolarQuotes (@Solar_Quotes) September 8, 2023

Tesla co-founder Elon Musk has also offered little detail, so far chiming in with just one short Tweet on Friday:

“PW3 is optimised for ease of installation & high power, which means that a single Powerwall can serve as an uninterruptible power supply for most homes,” Musk said on X (formerly Twitter).

“This is a big deal for ensuring that the lights stay on and you can power all your devices in the event of a power outage.”

What can be confirmed thus far is that the Powerwall 3 is smaller, overall, than the Powerwall 2 – around two inches shorter and six inches less broad – but thicker out from the wall by about one inch.

On looks, the consensus seems to be that the Powerwall 3 is a step down from the Powerwall 2, with some saying that the exposed and unfinished metal sides of the battery make it look “unfinished.”

This less refined look may be a concession to the cost of the new battery, which speculation had suggested would be priced lower than the Powerwall 2.

So what does all this mean for Australia?

One Step Off The Grid has sought comment from Tesla Australia to see if there might be any going being installed locally any time soon. But it seems unlikely, with just a few in the US and no official launch or website listing yet.

A positive sign, however, is the recent launch of a nationwide $750 rebate on the price of Powerwall 2 batteries in Australia, which suggests an effort to clear the shelves for the new model.

The rebate, which brings the cost of a Tesla Powerwall 2 comes down to just over $12,000 dollars, at $12,150, ends at the end of this year, suggesting that could be around the time we see the new battery arrive in Australia.

In the US, a $US500 rebate on the Powerwall 2 was announced in June and ends at the end of October.