$300 DIY Tesla Powerwall - Solar storage 18650 lithium ion home Battery

FAQ:
8) Why not use Supercapacitors?
A. Batteries work better at this time, caps are rare and expensive devices that are very good at doing things not needed for storage systems typically.
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List of parts used to make this project:
Tesla Glass No longer available
Related Products:
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[trob]

Holy shit.... someone on YouTube doing a DIY that actually researched and knows what he is taking about. That's refreshing!! I'm an industrial electrician and constantly work with 480 and 208 three phase power. This guy is spot on with voltages and Watt hours etc. Good job!!

[이철호-bm]

*Super compact and easy to carry and travel with accessories for the electric **Generater.Systems** .I was worried this was going to be bulky or hard to use.Hooks up easy and charges quickly*

[teamyahshuaorgteamyahshuad]

To make it optimal, we could add a BMS (Battery Management System), with cooling controlled fans, vetilation holes, with screens, and below freezing temperature shut off. Oh, and don't forget a metal box...

Looks cooool! Great video! Thanks for sharing!

[Lets-follow-HIM]

Jehu has a real talent for teaching this stuff and you can tell he care about his audience , thanks man keep it up.

[ragnaroksangel]

You have a talent for explaining things where people can understand and without getting bored or losing interest

[Re_Kitty]

I loved the part where you explained how you can wire battery packs for whichever voltage you need! Nobody seems to know just how useful and versatile 18650's from laptop batteries are!

[Chimonger]

Great idea....questions:
1. By using old batteries, isn't one vastly cutting life expectancy of the pack?
2. Are the batteries easy to remove/replace when they go bad?
3. Is there some visual cue that indicates when each cell quits working, to easily facilitate changing out only the bad cells?
4. And, what happens...anything adverse...by pairing cells of different ages and wear?
The box could be configured to inset between wall studs, so avoid anything much sticking out off the wall surface!

[tumalogian]

Every thing said, the stuffs you're doing is what modern day heroes do. To me, you're among the unknown unrecognized global heroes in the making. Only a passion to share knowledge to empower people can make people do what you do. Godspeed!

[airos]

holy guacamole! that is impressive. - I built and installed my own solar after a ton of research. Everyone i have told thinks I am crazy, including my wife, but now that i have't burned down the house, and my AC is running at 75 degrees in 105 degree weather, now they don't think I am crazy... I have considered a battery backup, but going off grid would be epic! I am seriously IMPRESSED with your work. This is my first time to the channel... and your motherboard channel. I will be spending a few more sleepless nights listening to that content you have posted.

[samxsin]

Homeboy you are a godsend. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. So grateful for people like you teaching the rest of us how to do things we would think we were never capable of.

[EasierHomeCooking]

Awesome, would love to see a start to finish portable version like charge the battery off solar and take it with you in a vehicle so you got a charge point on the go for long distance

[avocadoarms]

I was working for a delivery business and seen this workshop that had 3 of the BIG industrial power walls side by side. First time I’d seen it, asked them a bunch of questions and they bacially hadn’t paid for electricity since they had them installed, and they used tools ALL DAY, shop fans, welders, hoists ect ect…

[roelofkingma]

Hi there,
You forgot to mention the costs of a control unit and an inverter, which - of course - are included in the Tesla Unit.
Regards from The Netherlands,
Roelof Kingma

[Dufas]

Cool project, I always love DIY and people who share the knowledge. To everybody else on here, right or wrong, we should be thankful for people who take the time to do a good video and share their knowledge, even if it is wrong or we don't agree with it fully. You can either learn good things, bad things and takeway (if you choose) something from things like this.

Having said that, I do disagree with a few things. First the price, you only mention the batteries, wood and glass as cost on your BOM. However, and you even link to these in the video, there are many other components on the BOM. For example, the battery holders link you provide, takes me to eBay where there are holders that hold 15 batteries for 5.99 each. To buy enough of these to hold 600 batteries, it would cost $239.60 just for the holders. On top of that, there are many other items, for example the fuses, buss bars, wiring, etc...

Given that, and not even factoring in labor, I think your actual BOM is more like $600-$700 (and that is assuming you still use that overpriced piece of glass). Still not bad if you want to take on a project of this magnitude. Which brings me to another point, the labor. Do you care to share how much time it takes to pull apart all the laptop batteries, test them and then arrange/solder them all together into these packs? I would venture to guess it would take many, many days.

Finally, as others have pointed out, there are things like UL listing, thermal and environmental concerns, etc... that are not factored in to your solution. I love DIY, but some things that may burn my house down, I tend to proceed with caution. By the way, if you burn your house down with something DIY like this (no UL listing, etc...) you may not even be covered by your home insurance.

So, my summary, while the Powerwall is $3k-$3500, that is actually a good price when you factor the BOM, labor to build and other engineering concerns.

Mike

[derocov]

It's all about the batteries.... weight and current vs. application capacity.
II have a cluster of free 40 x 12V 20Ah UPS Led Acid batteries that
I get to torment from time to time on my DYI UPS backup ideas.
The other day I tried a load on just (1) single but good 12V Li-Ion, battery.
So we dream every day of finally pulling off the grid and make good DIY stuff like you share with us.
I can just say It's amazing the power one gets with no weigh from Li-Ion/ 18650 batteries.
Thank you, Mr. Garcia for tons of inspiration, keep your nice production up : )

[KkkittT]

I don't know how i stumbled onto this but im so glad i did. i cant wait to try do this!

[rnbirvin]

Just stumbled on this and was impressed, he’s friendly and knows his stuff. Keep it at the baby level, there is a mix of capabilities watching and some have been away from any tech work for a long time;)

[BigVulcanDeal]

Awesome job .. I love how you de-mystify this stuff .. it benefits even those folks who know, in principle, how this stuff works. One of my degrees is in EE, and I know plenty about how this stuff works, but I tend to let my imagination run wild about the possible complications, and so never undertake a project. Being able to see it actually done from stset to finish provides needed encouragement (and insight into which parts to use etc.)

Please keepep them coming!

[QuaabQueb]

A great place to get 18650's and other batteries FOR FREE is in those used battery recycling bins that are at most electronics and hardware stores, or you can ask at a recycling facility, 18650's are in everything from cordless drill battery packs to laptop batteries.

[CharlieKelloggPilot]

Great project.. Its got me thinking. I don't know why you included the price of the wood in your project costs but didn't include the wires, wiring connectors, and immobilizer. I would imagine that would add some significant cost. $100 for the glass?.... well I guess there is a place for form over function, ( a piece of scrap metal painted with good paint and sticker would have achieved the same effect). I look forward to your next video.