Mercedes-Benz joins Tesla in the home battery revolution

DAIMLER AG is set to join Tesla in the energy storage industry by building and supplying battery packs for private and commercial use.

To be built by its wholly owned subsidiary company Deutsche ACCUmotive, the lithium-ion packs are currently being trialled in Germany, and will go on sale in the third quarter of this year.

The company will produce two modules to the same specifications that it uses to build automotive battery packs for Mercedes-Benz’s plug-in hybrid line a 2.5 kilowatt-per-hour unit is designed for home use, while a larger 5.9 kW/h unit will be rolled out for the small-to-medium business and light-industrial sector.

Eight of the Daimler private-use modules can be arrayed for a total storage capacity of 20kW/h. Tesla is offering its Powerwall in 10 and 7kW/h configurations, which can also be arrayed together to provide more storage.

The batteries, which are likely to be badged as Mercedes-Benz items, are made in the German state of Saxony. No prices have been announced for the Daimler system.

"Mercedes-Benz energy storages provide the best confirmation that lithium-ion batteries made in Germany have a viable future," said Harald Kröger, head of development electrics/electronics and e-drive for Mercedes-Benz.

"With our comprehensive battery expertise at Deutsche ACCUmotive we are accelerating the transition to sustainable energy generation, both on the road and in the field of power supply for companies and private households.”

A typical Australian household uses an average of 18.1kWh a day, according to the federal government’s Energy Made Easy website. A mid-sized (2kW) solar array can generate between 7kWh and 8kWh of energy, much of which is returned to the energy grid and re-sold to domestic users.

A Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesperson told GoAuto that no discussions about the battery system had yet taken place within the local operation.