3 ms·

People keep overlooking the objective value of not relying on "grid" power sources. Power goes off, your system keeps going. Gasoline supply stops (I've seen th

People keep overlooking the objective value of not relying on "grid" power sources. Power goes off, your system keeps going. Gasoline supply stops (I've seen that a few times), you can just power your car at home. Your system fails, grid is likely still up to cover. Supply-and-demand takes a sharp turn when supply is actually limited and can/does run out. At that point, having pre-paid for your own uninterrupted off-grid supply is worth a whole lot more.

rhino369 9y ago
I think people overvalue the value of being off the grid. The average person isn't doing anything that critical at home, so they can just deal with it. Diesel generators work for people with critical use cases. Katrina is the only time in my lifetime where a major city / region was without power and without gas deliveries for a long time.
- ghaff 9y ago
  Where I live (Northeast), pretty much the only time where an extended power outage is a serious problem is in the winter. And that's because of losing heat. A Powerwall-like "UPS" that could handle some critical systems (basically my furnace) automatically is interesting. But any solar panels are likely to be under snow and ice. Pretty much the only thing that's really a problem for me in a power outage is losing heat because the furnace loses power and therefore potentially having pipes freeze.
  - rhino369 9y ago
    How much heat would a powerwall even create? I suspect electric heat would drain those suckers pretty fast. Why doesn't the north east have gas heating?
    - 0xcde4c3db 9y ago
      Gas furnaces typically power their blowers with electricity; the gas is strictly for heat.
    - ghaff 9y ago
      I have an oil furnace with forced hot water. Basically, just need to drive the blower, maybe a pump, and some electronics. Not sure what the electrical draw of my furnace is but it's not a huge amount. You're right that, if you have electrical heat, a Powerwall would be pretty useless.
  - marvin 9y ago
    I think Tesla alluded to building heating elements into the tiles to keep snow and ice from building up, but I am not sure whether this is making its way into the final product. (Also unsure how this would play out in a snowstorm well below freezing temperatures).
vkou 9y ago
If your city's electricity and gasoline supplies have stopped for any appreciable length of time, you will have far more serious problems then 'I've only got 120 miles of gas in my tank.'
- stcredzero 9y ago
  If your city's electricity and gasoline supplies have stopped for any appreciable length of time, I've been in exactly this situation after Hurricane Ike. I was driving a 1995 Mercedes E300 diesel on biodiesel. Since there was only 1 place to buy biodiesel, I had developed a habit of filling my tank, plus 2 5 gallon diesel fuel cans, so I had a stockpile. you will have far more serious problems then 'I've only got 120 miles of gas in my tank.' When the city is in a state like this, the filling stations are closed. Yes, it was very nice to know I had a "stockpile" of ~400 miles of driving range! Those "more serious problems" mean that those miles in your tank are extra valuable!
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

rhino369 9y ago

I think people overvalue the value of being off the grid. The average person isn't doing anything that critical at home, so they can just deal with it. Diesel generators work for people with critical use cases. Katrina is the only time in my lifetime where a major city / region was without power and without gas deliveries for a long time.

ghaff 9y ago
Where I live (Northeast), pretty much the only time where an extended power outage is a serious problem is in the winter. And that's because of losing heat. A Powerwall-like "UPS" that could handle some critical systems (basically my furnace) automatically is interesting. But any solar panels are likely to be under snow and ice. Pretty much the only thing that's really a problem for me in a power outage is losing heat because the furnace loses power and therefore potentially having pipes freeze.
- rhino369 9y ago
  How much heat would a powerwall even create? I suspect electric heat would drain those suckers pretty fast. Why doesn't the north east have gas heating?
  - 0xcde4c3db 9y ago
    Gas furnaces typically power their blowers with electricity; the gas is strictly for heat.
  - ghaff 9y ago
    I have an oil furnace with forced hot water. Basically, just need to drive the blower, maybe a pump, and some electronics. Not sure what the electrical draw of my furnace is but it's not a huge amount. You're right that, if you have electrical heat, a Powerwall would be pretty useless.
- marvin 9y ago
  I think Tesla alluded to building heating elements into the tiles to keep snow and ice from building up, but I am not sure whether this is making its way into the final product. (Also unsure how this would play out in a snowstorm well below freezing temperatures).

vkou 9y ago

If your city's electricity and gasoline supplies have stopped for any appreciable length of time, you will have far more serious problems then 'I've only got 120 miles of gas in my tank.'

stcredzero 9y ago
If your city's electricity and gasoline supplies have stopped for any appreciable length of time, I've been in exactly this situation after Hurricane Ike. I was driving a 1995 Mercedes E300 diesel on biodiesel. Since there was only 1 place to buy biodiesel, I had developed a habit of filling my tank, plus 2 5 gallon diesel fuel cans, so I had a stockpile. you will have far more serious problems then 'I've only got 120 miles of gas in my tank.' When the city is in a state like this, the filling stations are closed. Yes, it was very nice to know I had a "stockpile" of ~400 miles of driving range! Those "more serious problems" mean that those miles in your tank are extra valuable!

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]