Tesla says the price will reflect the upgrade of the “Gateway” smarts that control the battery, and the battery’s increased, and also flags further product upgrades later this year, including an impending solution for 3-phase homes.
The price hike for the Tesla Powerwall 2 was revealed by RenewEconomy earlier this month, following feedback from installers and others who had been given a heads up by the supplier.
Confirmation came on Friday, when Tesla published the new prices on its website. For Australian consumers these are:
- $A10,100 (from $A9,350)
- $A2,250 for Gateway
- $A1,450-4,400+ depending on installation complexity
“We occasionally adjust our global pricing to best reflect what we’re offering to customers and the value of our products,” a spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “The price adjustments made today are the latest example of that.”
It is the second price rise for the Tesla Powerwall 2, which stunned the industry when it was first released two years ago by effectively halving the price of battery storage in one fell stroke.
That price forced many other battery storage manufacturers to follow suit, and has meant that they have made little profits – Tesla included – although manufacturing efficiencies have led to reduce costs.
Production and availability of the Tesla Powerwall 2 units has also been impacted by the company’s focus on the Tesla 3 electric vehicle, and ensuring it meets production targets as it expands the range of that model, and starts to deliver to overseas and right hand drive markets.
Local installers and consumers say it is hard to obtain enough stock, and consumers often have significant delays in getting the product installed.
Tesla says, however, that further product releases are coming soon, including a solution for 3 phase homes in Australia (expected late 2018 – 2019), greater connectivity and boosted reliability in its devises (2019), and newly designed “accessory hardware” that matches the battery’s minimalist design (2019).
The company is also upgrading its mobile app, giving full control and management of systems, enabling customers to switch modes and delivering real-time view power flow and energy usage. This is also expected in 2019.
Giles Parkinson is founder and editor of One Step Off The Grid, and also edits and founded Renew Economy and The Driven. He has been a journalist for 35 years and is a former business and deputy editor of the Australian Financial Review.
