3 ms·

I have two questions: How are you funded? Hardware products are capital intensive. The cost of inventory alone can be a killer. The problem with buying a pr

I have two questions: How are you funded? Hardware products are capital intensive. The cost of inventory alone can be a killer. The problem with buying a product like this is that an underfunded company can go "poof" inside of a year by quickly getting over its skis and gasping for air (money). And, of course, warranties are only as good as the life of the company. How much/how was it tested? Managing power can be dangerous. I get that your experience telegraphs that you are more than qualified for the task. However, established companies invest a non trivial amount of money into products in order to, among other things, ensure they are safe when manufactured and deployed at scale. Heavy abuse with environmental chambers, EMC emissions and susceptibility, as well as corner cases (fridge compressor over-current event, SMPS on a computer exceeding startup currents, etc.) are examples of this. This kind of testing isn't trivial, can take a long time and cost a lot of money. BTW, just going through UL, CE, TUV, etc. testing isn't equivalent to a solid testing program. EDIT: Sorry, one more question. What's the power-in/power-out efficiency? Not through the inverter, but in the power-in -> charge-battery -> battery-power-out cycle. This alone could negate savings. If each side is ~80%, the plug-to-plug (through the battery) efficiency is only 64%, which means you consume much more energy to deliver the same outcome.

Nextgrid 2y ago
The real business model here is to sell these at a loss and build up an install base to aggregate them into a "virtual power plant" that can provide large-scale distributed power source/sink capability and sell access to that to utilities. That's why it's got cellular connectivity for which they are preemptively footing the bill (you wouldn't do that without good reason).
chadconway 2y ago
Pila is funded by venture capital firms. 100% agree, must be used and abused to ensure it’s ready for 10yrs. Pila extensively tests their units through multiple accelerated testing schemes. Plug to plug efficiency is >80%
- robomartin 2y ago
  > Pila is funded by venture capital firms. You don't have to answer if this is too intrusive. What's your runway? I can't speak for others. In my case, I need to know a company is going to be around for a minimum of five, and, ideally, at least ten, years before adopting certain types of products. For example, while I love the idea of SPAN, there is no way I am ripping out my panel to install one until it feels just as safe (long-term support, reliability, maintenance, safety, etc.) as, for example, the choice to buy SMA solar inverters or APC UPS systems. I think this product might fall under that category. Well, let's put it this way...it can't be a flash-in-the-pan product that will cease to have support in a year or two. The tech world is littered with products from companies who got enough funding to get to launch, only to have to survive on sales in a "paycheck to paycheck" fashion, which, in hardware, can be incredibly difficult. I speak from experience on this, so, not throwing stones from a glass house...I've been there and have the scars to prove it. Doing hardware is brutal, which is why most VC's go "poof" and disappear from the room when you mention hardware is involved. Again, I know this is a tricky or undesirable question. I get it.

Nextgrid 2y ago

The real business model here is to sell these at a loss and build up an install base to aggregate them into a "virtual power plant" that can provide large-scale distributed power source/sink capability and sell access to that to utilities. That's why it's got cellular connectivity for which they are preemptively footing the bill (you wouldn't do that without good reason).

chadconway 2y ago

Pila is funded by venture capital firms. 100% agree, must be used and abused to ensure it’s ready for 10yrs. Pila extensively tests their units through multiple accelerated testing schemes. Plug to plug efficiency is >80%

robomartin 2y ago
> Pila is funded by venture capital firms. You don't have to answer if this is too intrusive. What's your runway? I can't speak for others. In my case, I need to know a company is going to be around for a minimum of five, and, ideally, at least ten, years before adopting certain types of products. For example, while I love the idea of SPAN, there is no way I am ripping out my panel to install one until it feels just as safe (long-term support, reliability, maintenance, safety, etc.) as, for example, the choice to buy SMA solar inverters or APC UPS systems. I think this product might fall under that category. Well, let's put it this way...it can't be a flash-in-the-pan product that will cease to have support in a year or two. The tech world is littered with products from companies who got enough funding to get to launch, only to have to survive on sales in a "paycheck to paycheck" fashion, which, in hardware, can be incredibly difficult. I speak from experience on this, so, not throwing stones from a glass house...I've been there and have the scars to prove it. Doing hardware is brutal, which is why most VC's go "poof" and disappear from the room when you mention hardware is involved. Again, I know this is a tricky or undesirable question. I get it.