Dive Brief:
- SimpliPhi Power, formerly known as Optimized Energy Storage, is developing a home and light commercial energy storage option the company says is 98% efficiency and does not require expensive heat mitigation.
- SimpliPhi is the second company in a week to announce battery storage options which appear designed to challenge Tesla in the space.
- Tesla Chairman and CEO Elon Musk set the bar when his company announced a 7 kWh and 10 kWh home storage device, but companies are hinting their products have advantages in size and simplicity.
Dive Insight:
Details are still scant, but SimpliPhi has issued a statement saying its battery eliminates cobalt chemistry in its Lithium-ion battery, is modular and scalable, and comes with a 10-year warranty. SimpliPhi is not a new company, however, and its technology has been used in the film and television industry since 2002.
CleanTechnica has the story on how Stuart Lennox started the company — he was working in the film industry and became obsessed with the battery used to power an e-bike he scouted as a prop.
It seems the home storage market is poised to take off. Tesla announced its PowerWall product in May, and just a week ago California startup Orison announced a line of home battery products that require no installation and have a lower price point than Tesla.
The Orison "Tower" and "Panel" resemble a lamp and a picture frame, weigh approximately 40 pounds and have a capacity of 2 kWh. Company officials say the devices will have built-in demand management functions. The tower will sell for approximately $2,000 and the panel for $1,600. Expansions could allow a customer to have 8 kWh of storage for $4,900.
That puts it in competition with Tesla, which will offer a 7 kWh system for $3,000, though that price does not include installation.
Like the Orison battery, SimpliPhi's ease of installment may wind up being a selling factor. No price or capacity was announced, however. The company's battery system was tapped for a demonstration home in New York over Tesla's offering, because of the ease of installation.
