Vermont Customers Can Get Tesla Powerwall For Only $15 A Month

In an unprecedented move, a power utility company in Vermont is partnering with Tesla in order to bring the company’s Powerpack and Powerwall 2 technology to the public. The first part of the deal is basically to add the extra power source to the power company’s own supply. The other part is to subsidize Powerwall 2 units so that the people of Vermont can get one for themselves at only $15 a month.

This is the first move of its kind anywhere in the world and is expected to expand the influence of Tesla in the renewable energy market. Green Mountain Power (GMP) is basically allowing Powerpack and Powerwall 2 units on its land as a direct partnership with the tech company, Futurism reports.

As for the units that private households can get ahold of, to start with, as many as 2,000 customers can avail of the monthly subsidized fee for the personal home batteries. If they want, they could also pay the one-time price of $1,500, which is half what a 7kW Powerwall 2 would normally cost. That’s about as good of a deal as anyone has been offered for something as pricey as a Tesla Powerwall.

So, why exactly is a power company partnering with the very tech brand that is trying to put traditional electric businesses in the ground? According to GMP, the idea was basically brought out by necessity when over 15,000 homes were affected by a power outage, Engadget reports.

Speaking to WCAX-TV, GMP CEO Mary Powell noted that the company had to make a choice at that point. When GMP noticed that its customers who had Powerwalls didn’t suffer as much of an impact from the power outage as others, the company knew what it had to do.

"Three customers who had Powerwalls never lost power, so it carried their home through," Powell said. "And unlike a generator, they didn't have to worry about hooking it up, they didn't have to worry about whether it was fueled."