Eaton xStorage vs Tesla Powerwall 2 review 2018-05-09T21:53:55+00:00

Eaton xStorage vs Tesla Powerwall 2 review

We have been asked to compare the Tesla Powerwall with the Eaton xStorage which uses Nissan batteries, so have published this short analysis.  The conclusion is very apparent, with Tesla Powerwall 2 being recommended for a range of reasons – read on to find out why.

Cost per kWh

xStorage

Estimated installed cost of £5k including 5% VAT.  This is for 4.2kWh x 0.9 depth of discharge =3.78kW of usable capacity. Cost per kWh is £1,190.

xstorage

Tesla Powerwall 2

Installed cost of £5,883 including 5% VAT.  This is for 13.5kWh of usable capacity.  Cost per kWh is £436.

Tesla Powerwall

The Eaton xStorage which uses Nissan batteries is 2.72 more expensive than the Tesla Powerwall 2.

Expected life

xStorage

Second hand battery with expected life of about 5 years (based on warranty).

Tesla Powerwall 2

New battery with expected life of about 10 years (based on warranty).

Taking into account useful life, this makes the Eaton xStorage 5.4 times more expensive than the Tesla Powerwall 2.

Other factors to consider

The Tesla offers full backup whereas most other battery systems offer critical load backup only.  The output of Tesla is up to 5kW compared to the xStorage of 2.52kW.  The Tesla is 2 times more powerful.

The most important thing about a li-on battery is the temperature of the battery – this impacts the life and usability of the battery.  The Tesla Powerwall 2 uses liquid and fan cooling to keep the correct temperature compared to the xStorage which uses natural convection only.  This is also reflected in the operation temperature range – Tesla Powerwall 2 is -20 to 50 compared to Eaton/Nissan xStorage is 0 to 30.