Elon Musk's Tesla Powerwall Keynote

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-01/tesla-s-powerwall-event-the-11-most-important-facts

Once SolarCity makes its way to Florida, I plan on getting solar panels. That is of course assuming that my roof gets enough sunlight to make me a candidate.

http://www.solarcity.com/residential/how-much-do-solar-panels-cost

Check out SolarCity. It was founded by Musk's cousin and Musk is chairman. They allow you to lease solar panels or you can finance. If you finance, they have a plan that will allow you to pay off your loan with excess energy production.

I was just going to share this...someone beat me to it.

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/01/tesla-announces-low-cost-solar-batteries-elon-musk?CMP=ema_565

I am building my prototype elevated RV which will be solar off grid and I will try to do all the work myself. I had read that the new batteries will be available, but being I will mostly use it on the weekends I can get by with Golf Cart batteries. I would love to get the new battery because this would allow me to install an incinerator toilet which will require no permitting from big government. Once I have the state police put a vin number on the heavy duty steel frame, I can apply for an RV license from the State of Illinois and I am good.

I will be buying old billboard vinyl which is very inexpensive and is very heavy duty. We will take two vinyl sections and put two inch insulation between the sheets and glue with a heavy duty adhesive the rigid Owens 4 x 8 panels which will be layered to achieve R20 shell. I gave the prints to the steel fabricator and will be getting prices later next week. I will post photos during construction.

You're building an RV entirely from scratch?

Entirely from scratch.  I have designed it last month and delivered it to the steel fabricator this week.  I will get the price on the steel and make some adjustments and will order the steel after memorial day.  I will post photos as I build it.   It will be a 400 sq foot tiny house elevated seven feet above the islands overlooking the river and will be entirely self sustaining with the exception of my bringing potable water to the house, with a mosquito netted patio under the house.   It will have an rv tag on it but it will really be an elevated cabin.

I have built houses for thirty five years.....done some framing, roofing, plumbing, electric, heating and AC.   This has been well thought out and should really be improved over the golf cart batteries if the new batteries are available.

http://www.victronenergy.com/upload/documents/Brochure-Off-Grid,-back-up-and-island-systems_EN_web.pdf

Better than golf cart batteries
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Victron-Energy-12V-220Ah-AGM-Deep-Cycle-Battery-PN-BAT412201080-/251457536783?_trksid=p2141725.m3641.l6368

VRLA AGM: design life 7-10 years
VRLA GEL: design life 12 years
VRLA GEL 2 Volt cells: design life 20 years

The AGM range has very low internal resistance making them particularly suitable for high current discharge applications such as for inverters, thrusters and winches as well as engine starting.

The GEL model range offer best deep cycle durability and overall longer life. The use of high purity materials and lead calcium grids ensure that for both AGM and GEL products have particulary low self discharge so that they will not go flat during long periods without charge. Both ranges are supplied with M8 drilled, flat copper terminals ensuring best possible connection contact and eliminating the need for battery terminals. The batteries are compliant with both CE and UL specifications in ABS fireproof containers and come with Victron's 2 year world-wide warranty.

I can run trojan golf cart batteries 6 volt serial and parallel to achieve incredible storage at about 98 bucks a battery where I buy a skid load from the local golf cart location where he has given me great deals in the past. There are plenty of Utube videos on setting up off grid simple systems which can create easy off the shelf racks to mount the panels, controllers and inverter connections. The solar panels are the easy part. The thing which is so appealing about the new battery is the leasing possibility and the risk of loss over twenty years staying with the company. Fifteen dollars a month and capturing the savings from the power company, but a stand alone system on an RV will not meet their financing model they have structured now. The truth is that the revolutionary thing about the new battery is the marketing plan and financing.

I am going to have much difficulty building this as weak as I have become, but get up early and use the cool mornings to work, and I will utilize the lull as a crane much more than I would when I was strong. I wish I was ten years younger and healthy because this design is unique and will be fun......if I remain at this level and do not decline rapidly.

Yes, I have looked at industrial batteries using the same technology but they are way too expensive with new options on the horizon. I will budget about 1300 bucks on batteries and will use my generator as a backup. Otherwise, I will be looking at 4k on the better batteries. The generator back up changes the model, and I may have the incinerator toilet on a different circuit with an automatic start button in the bathroom as the bigger model will pull 3500 watts which would be a huge over design on a solar system. Here are your batteries being tested.

The advantage of using a M8 battery vrs a group 24/27 is fewer terminal connectors to obtain the same capacity .  M8  battery’s also have a better type of "Flag" terminal.  Fewer connections equates to few troubles.   A good crimping tool is a must for battery work  Crimp and solder for the best results.  Cheaper(?) to make your own cables as good ones are very pricey.    LOL  Sorry pic is so big 

I will make my own cables and the 6volt batteries I will run in parallel and serially are easy to individually pick up. I will build a battery cabinet on the hitch triangle closest to my front wall of the RV trailer. I will not load the RV battery cabinet until I have set the RV on the elevated platform. I will not weigh the trailer with the batteries in the RV. Being that this is going to be a permanent set......it will be a one time load. There is some battery maintenance issues which must make my ease of access important. I am thinking a removable panel on the front of the RV.

My understanding is that the $3,500 battery can be ordered now. I will have to see what leasing arrangements they have and whether they will give a twenty year warranty. If you can lease and they cover damage to the batteries not caused by me, then I will go with the new batteries and use the generator until I can get delivery. They were talking about a three month lead time which will give me plenty of time. Pretty exciting.

Forklift battery’s are mounted on rollers so you so can easily pull them out for service.

Batteries in a traditional cabinet could easily be near 800 to a thousand pounds. If you saw the video, even the modern ones are very heavy. I feel comfortable with the heavy duty steel frame that this will support either decision. I could not use a forklift battery because of flooding. I would not want to have to use the lull to set the battery pack.

Just had a fun afternoon. The drought has allowed maple trees to sprout in the low areas which are normally under three or four feet of water this time of year. well I have been digging a bucket hole, taking that dirt to the river's edge, and laying down a ramp which allows me to travel on the river bottom without sinking and bucket up small maple trees and then spot them in the hole I dug. It will be interesting if this works because we just ordered 100 maple trees four feet high bare root which we get next week. In any regard I will need a good rain early this week for the trees to survive, but the wife is getting the ATV set up with a trailer for a two hundred gallon water tank where she will water the new maples and the ones I transplanted today. It is getting harder to get in and out of the Bobcat, but I am getting great results as dry as it has been.

I know a lot about batteries  I once kept up a fleet of 62 Golf carts.  Later a fleet of 5 shrimp boats..  Shrimp boats are very hard on batteries.  One of hardest things I ever had to do was change out a battery 50 miles out in the Gulf.  Pitch black engines room,  Heavy seas, vertical ladder and a heavy ass M8 battery  It took 3 of us but we got it done.

Did you ever use an automatic watering system on the batteries with the golf carts? I still have to maintain water levels in my club car golf cart and I have heard they have automatic watering systems. Also, when not in use did you put a trickle charge on your golf carts during the off season?

No automatic systems for us.  Used the hand held can with shut off spout.  No off season at the Pensacola Country Club.  Checked every cell every day on the carts that went out.  One time I thought I would be cool and "Detail" a few of the carts.  I "Armour  All"  all the seat, dash etc.  About 8 30 one of the members cam flying into the cart barn.  He was really pissed.  Seemed the Amour All got on their hands and gloves and made their clubs slip.  LOL  Lesson learned...

I will have to remember that.....but I don't play golf anymore....so it would only be half the fun. I hope the automatic new battery is available and can be financed. The more I think about watering batteries the less energetic I am getting.

I bet they are Gel now a days.  Sealed

I bet they are Gel now a days. Sealed

Most are but the great deal I got on the Trojans was probably because they are winding down on the same. A sealed battery is better. I was working in a dodge dealership in high school doing maintenance and one of the mechanics had a battery explode and he lost an eye. He was a good guy. It was 1969 and he got a big settlement and went to his home town in KY and opened a Toyota franchise. I never had contact with him after he was hurt but I have often wondered how his business worked out, but getting into a Toyota dealership before they got red hot was good timing. Losing the eye was no fun and I was ALWAYS careful when working with batteries.

http://www.engadget.com/2015/05/06/tesla-powerwall-earnings/