GM Charges into Home Energy Storage Market with PowerBank, Aiming to Rival Tesla’s Dominance

General Motors has introduced its new PowerBank home energy storage systems, marking the brand's entry into the market and presenting a direct challenge to Tesla's established Powerwall units from a car manufacturer.

Other car manufacturers have talked about creating products that store energy, and the Ford F-150 Lightning offers a system for home power backup, but it seems that GM is the initial company, besides Tesla, to introduce vehicle-maker labeled battery packs in the American market.

GM's ambitious strategy to turn electric vehicles into domestic energy storage units involves PowerBanks, offered in 10.6-kwh and 17.7-kwh sizes. These come in packages that also feature the necessary chargers and inverters to link the batteries with electric vehicles and household power setups. Initially, GM announced that these vehicle-to-home packages would be sold exclusively in California, Florida, Michigan, New York, and Texas. However, the firm has now expanded their availability to all 50 states.

Hardware for storing energy at General Motors

Clients have the option to merge a pair of 17.7-kwh batteries, which collectively provide 35.4 kwh, a quantity that GM asserts can supply a typical US household with electricity for a maximum of 20 hours. Furthermore, the offered charging device links the energy-storage units to GM's electric vehicles, granting users the possibility to access the full extent of the battery power, reaching up to 205 kwh in the largest electric truck models.

Last summer, General Motors announced its intention to roll out two-way charging capability across all of its electric vehicles, under the Ultium banner, by the model year 2026. This will enable all future GM electric vehicle owners to utilize their cars as a backup power supply for their homes by that year.

General Motors' residential energy setup featuring the PowerBank storage unit.

Full residential energy setups featuring PowerBank modules are available beginning at a price point of $12,700. General Motors has officially announced the cost of the Powershift Charger, essential for utilizing the electric vehicles' two-way charging feature, at $1,699. Additionally, the V2H Enablement Kit, which contains all required equipment for setting up energy storage except for the actual battery pack, is priced at $5,600.

At present, Tesla provides a single option for its Powerwall units with a 13.5-kwh storage capacity, capable of delivering maximum power outputs of 11.5 kw. These systems can also be integrated with residential solar setups. However, what may set them apart are the user interfaces. It's uncertain if GM's software will match the user-friendly and versatile Tesla application that manages electric vehicles and energy-related services.

The 2024 Chevy Silverado Electric Vehicle, equipped with General Motors' Ultium domestic energy

General Motors initially revealed information about this technology in the middle of 2023. However, back then, SunPower was the designated partner for installation and maintenance. This technology underwent preliminary trials in California starting in 2022. Later, in this year's spring, GM transitioned to using Qmerit as the service provider. By August, SunPower, which was a leading solar energy choice ten years ago, declared insolvency.

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