Using a “tiny house” on wheels, Tesla have found a new and innovative way to show the potential of their domestic solar products to prospective customers. The Tesla tiny house, towed by a Tesla Model X, began its inaugural debut in Melbourne, Australia at Federation Square. From here the Tesla combination will make its way across Australia on a tour of the country.
If the tiny house seems familiar then you are not wrong, it bears more than a passing resemblance to the mobile design studio that the company introduced last September. This was an Airstream that had been reconfigured to allow people to create their own Tesla vehicle in a concept similar to that of the virtual mobile studio. The tiny house also includes a mobile design studio but in respect of Tesla’s range of domestic solar products; incorporating their solar panels and the Powerwall energy storage battery.
The sides of the tiny house are made using an untreated sustainable timber, it weighs in at a hefty 2 tonnes, that’s around the 4,400-pound mark, ad has a solar generation capacity of 2kW using just 6 solar panels. These panels are used to feed the single Powerwall battery that is fixed to the side.
The route for the Tesla tour will include destinations in every major city in Australia, but don’t worry if you live in a smaller town, you can ask them to stop by along the way. And whilst Tesla might not offer solar installations in Australia it is evident that they are paving the way; and of course, their Powerwall batteries can currently be purchased to use in conjunction with the solar installations other providers currently offer.
Should the Tiny House have the desired effect of swaying Australian consumers then it seems likely that the model will be applied to other markets. Tesla are currently in the process of building a large renewable power storage facility that uses Powerpack batteries. Once it is finished it is expected to be the largest facility of its kind anywhere in the world.
