Tesla Powerwall How Long Does It Last

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Tesla has made great strides in the technology of the electric vehicle and battery industries, inspiring generations to come with better, cleaner sources of energy.

Now, Tesla’s Powerwall looks forward to becoming a standard piece of equipment in many, if not all, solar power systems. By bypassing local utility companies that charge for electricity and instead harnessing the power of the sun, people are reliant on these Powerwall batteries.

If there is a power outage, a 13.5 kWh Tesla Powerwall will last you anywhere between 10 to 15 hours for the average American household.

Continue reading to learn more about the Tesla Powerwall, its storage, lifespan, and more.

Unfortunately, we can throw around as many numbers as we want, but the best we can do is provide a range of values that a Tesla Powerwall could last for. This is because of the many extenuating circumstances that surround power usage.

You could have multiple Tesla Powerwalls connected to a single system, increasing the system’s total capacity and therefore increasing the time they will last.

It could be a blistering hot summer when your power goes out, so you feel the need to blast the air conditioning the entire time. But, on the other hand, it could be nighttime, and you are no longer actively generating solar power for use or charging the Powerwall batteries.

All of these, and more, can shorten or extend how long a Tesla Powerwall will last if it is the sole energy source for a household.

In general, if you don’t wish to reduce your normal energy consumption during a power outage, you can expect the Powerwall to last from 10 to 15 hours on average.

If, however, you restrict your usage to purely essential items (a few lights, for example), you might be able to extend the battery and last a few days.

In terms of lifespan, you should expect your Tesla Powerwall to last no less than ten years if you constantly use and cycle it as your primary power source. It will likely last up to 20 or 25 years, but there will be significant losses in storage capacity over time.

Does Tesla Powerwall Last Long Enough to Be Worth the Money?

There are several other home battery solutions for power outages or your entire energy system. In comparison, the relatively high storage capacity, continuous power supply, and low price tag of Tesla’s Powerwall make it a strong contender.

Tesla Powerwall can potentially save you money and be well worth the initial investment if used correctly.

In areas where a utility provider charges time-of-use prices, charging during the day when prices are usually at their lowest and then using the stored power at night when electricity is usually at its most expensive, you can save on your electric bill.

Because Powerwalls cannot be bought and installed independently from a solar array through Tesla, you can charge the Powerwall’s battery during the day, thanks to solar power. You can then theoretically use this power at night or sell it back to the grid for the highest profit.

Assuming your Powerwall lasts only ten years, it should be able to recoup its cost and return savings to your pocket. The longer it lasts, the greater the potential for savings (increased savings at that).

 

What if Your Tesla Powerwall Last Shorter than it Should be?

If your Tesla Powerwall happens to experience a defect that causes it to lose functionality, there is a limited warranty through Tesla. This warranty covers faults and defects for the first ten years of the product’s life.

If a Powerwall fails, at its discretion, Tesla will fix your Powerwall using new or refurbished pieces, replace the entire Powerwall unit, or refund you the market price for the unit.

Keep an eye on your Powerwall’s metrics through the Tesla app to ensure that the battery retains at least 70% capacity for those ten years. Otherwise, you might be able to make a valid claim on the warranty.

If you ever require the warranty and the appropriate work is done, the remaining warranty from the previous product will be associated with the new parts or unit.

This means the warranty will not extend past the first ten years from the initial installation of a Tesla Powerwall, no matter what.

 

What is the Maximum Your Tesla Powerwall Can Last?

Even if you upkeep your Tesla Powerwall with the best procedures and lightly use it only when it is desperately needed, you shouldn’t expect the product to last over 25 years.

No matter what you do to maintain the battery, it will deteriorate over time and lose significant portions of its storage capacity.

If your Tesla Powerwall does make it past ten years, you may want to hold on to it for another five or ten years to make the most out of it.

However, battery technologies will likely improve in such a way that the original Powerwall unit becomes obsolete or far outclassed by newer items during those 15 or 20 years.

 

How Many Cycles Does a Tesla Powerwall Last?

This depends on how your Powerwall is being used in conjunction with other electric systems. For example, Tesla’s limited 10-year warranty states that it is good for an unlimited number of cycles if it is on a separate, solar-powered grid.

If you’re connecting a Tesla Powerwall in combination to power from a utility provider or national grid, or you are using it for more than backup power, the same warranty states that a Powerwall is good for 37.8 MWh of aggregate throughput.

37.8 MWh is the equivalent of 37,800 kWh or about 3,200 full cycles of the Powerwall charging and discharging to and from 100% of the available capacity. In some places, average battery usage is between 0.8 and 1.2 cycles per day. This comes out to about 8.75 years of daily use.

With a properly designed system, you should be able to get many more cycles than the 3,200 listed above.

 

Final Thoughts on Tesla’s Powerwall Lifespan

The Tesla Powerwall is just one solution to having backup power in a blackout or living in an off-grid situation. The Powerwall can last 10 to 15 hours without any supporting power sources like that from connected solar panels or a utility provider.

In terms of lifespan, a Tesla Powerwall is only guaranteed up to 10 years of operation from the date of initial installment but can easily last another ten years past that for a total of 20 years.

 

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