Future tiny house owner Karl Gesslein plans to power his home with the Tesla Cybertruck. Writing for the Electric Bike blog, Gesslein explains why he thinks the Cybertruck could hold enough electricity to power his tiny house.
Gesslein’s unique use for the Cybertruck hasn’t been talked about much, but after reading his blog post, it seems plausible. He plans to connect his CYBRTRK to his home through the tiny house’s breaker box, like a generator plug. He explains how he’s going to connect the Tesla truck to his breaker box in detail on his YouTube channel.
Gesslein ordered the US$50,000 AWD Cybertruck because he thinks it can produce enough energy to run his tiny house. He speculates that the battery size of the mid-range Tesla pickup would be around 120 kWh, which seems like a safe bet when speculations are abounding that the base RWD version would have around 100 kWh. According to the off-grid veteran, the mid-range all-electric vehicle may be able to power his tiny house for about 240 days straight, if his calculations are correct.
Credit: Tesla
Neither Tesla nor Elon Musk has actually announced anything about the Cybertruck’s battery packs. However, speculations from the Tesla community suggest that the base model of Tesla’s pickup truck could have a battery pack that is around 100 kWh, considering the size of the vehicle. This is significantly larger than the Tesla Powerwall, which has a capacity of 13.5 kWh.
The amount of electricity a tiny house really needs depends on its owners. Some can live off as little energy as possible by reducing the use of high-powered machines, like washing machines, dryers, and large water heaters. Tiny house owners who have high-powered devices might still consume as much energy as traditionally-sized homes, reported Go Down Size. According to the US Energy Information Administration, a typically-sized home consumes 867 kWh a month or about 29 kWh per day.
At 29 kWh per day, Gesslein could power a typical home for at least three days with the all-electric pickup--and Gesslein's estimates on the Cybertruck's battery capacity are conservative. However, Gesslein and his wife have been living off-grid in their normal-sized home for the past 6 years. As such, they must know how to conserve energy while maintaining a comfortable lifestyle. When discussing the Tesla Powerwall 2 on his blog, for example, Gesslein noted that the home battery pack could run his wife's home for a month without any sun "if we didn’t do laundry, run the shop vac or any power tools."
Credit: Tesla
Overall, the Cybertruck, thanks to its capability to power other machines, is actually insanely cheap in cost per kWh. The Powerwall 2's 13.5 kWh costs $6,500, so that translates to about ~$550 per kWh. That's already affordable compared to other battery systems. Gesslein's existing 2 kWh lead acid batteries that he uses for his home, for example, is far more expensive at $1,400 per usable kWh. Provided that his 120 kWh estimate for the mid-tier Cybertruck is accurate, it could translate to about $416 per usable kWh. Cheaper than a Powerwall 2, and far more affordable than less reliable lead acid batteries.
"We gotta guess at the battery size for this beast but 120kWh is a pretty safe bet. This breaks down to $416 per usable kWh. If the Cybertruck was hooked up to my wife’s house and we smashed all the solar panels it would provide all our electricity needs for about 240 days straight. That is long enough to get through a pretty harsh nuclear winter with some time to spare... The Cybertruck is the best electric-powered generator money can buy," Gesslein wrote.
If Gesslein is correct and the Cybertruck can be used as a generator for tiny house—or even standard homes—then Tesla’s truck is more useful than the community initially thought. The fact that it's an off-road-capable, near-bulletproof monster of an EV is just icing on the cake.
Featured Image Credit: Adam Savage's Tested/YouTube
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About the Author
Claribelle Deveza
Longtime writer and news/book editor. Writing about Tesla allows me to contribute something good to the world, while doing something I love.
