Tesla Powerwall Home Battery Faces Freshly Charged Competition From Mercedes

We have the feeling that the “personal power storage” market is about to really take off. Many environmentally-conscious homeowners are looking towards alternative power generation (like solar) in an effort to reduce their reliance on the traditional electric grid. As a result, there will be a need for complimentary battery systems to capture and store solar energy when the sun isn’t shining, and even those without solar panels can “load shift” to take advantage of more favorable utility rates throughout the day.

So it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that Mercedes-Benz, a company that has more than dabble with lithium-ion battery-powered vehicles, is unveiling what it calls private energy storage units. Each standalone storage unit weighs 62 pounds, has an energy content of 2.5 kWh, and is aimed at households with solar panels to “buffer surplus solar power virtually free of any losses.”

While 2.5 kWh doesn’t seem like much, Mercedes-Benz says that you can string up to 8 storage units together to form an “energy storage plant” capable of supplying 20 kWh.

Other details gleamed include an included 24-month warranty and a 7-year “current-value” replacement guarantee should any failures occur after the standard warranty period. Mercedes-Benz is remaining mum on additional details, but plans to present the storage units at the Intersolar trade-fair in Munich from June 10 through June 12. Likewise, interested parties can reserve a storage unit

Just over a month ago, Tesla Energy sought to revolution the home and commercial energy markets with its Powerwall and Powerpack lithium-ion battery solutions. Powerwall, which is available in 7 kWh ($3,000) and 10 kWh ($3,500) capacities, can serve as a battery backup in the case of a power outage or harness energy when paired with alternative power generation methods like solar or wind power.

The Tesla Energy Powerpack is similar in scope, but is an “infinitely scalable system” that is geared for industrial use and is sold 100 kWh battery blocks.