Like everything Tesla does , the lithium-ion Powerwall battery has made quite the splash in the media since Elon Musk debuted the unit in 2015 . In the first quarter of this year , the company reportedly sold 2,500 units , with Tesla CTO JB Straubel saying that sales of the energy storage solution were starting to “ ramp up ”. “ They are going in all around the world . It ’ s happening ,” he said in an interview at the gigafactory earlier this year .

The battery is available in two varieties : a $ 3,000 6.4kWh model and a $ 3,500 10kWh model .

The larger capacity Powerwall was meant to serve as a backup generator during power outages , though it was quickly discovered that there was little need , or market , for the 10kWh model and it was discreetly discontinued .

The company says that its 6.4kWh offering is sufficient to power most homes during the evening using stored energy generated by solar panels in the daytime . Consumers with greater energy needs may install multiple batteries to accommodate their usage .

The battery comes with a 10-year warranty , or roughly 500 cycles , and the wholesale price to installers is USD $ 3,000 .

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