Forget ‘under 30 minutes or it’s free’ for food delivery — Elon Musk is in the business of ‘within 100 days or it’s free’ for mega-sized, home-charging batteries.
Congratulations to the Tesla crew and South Australian authorities who worked so hard to get this manufactured and installed in record time! https://t.co/M2zKXlIVn3
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 23, 2017
The Tesla co-founder and CEO has made good on his promise to install the world’s largest lithium ion battery to help South Australia with frequent ongoing blackouts in under 100 days, otherwise the company would give it to the state for free.
Tesla officially began building the battery on September 29th, marking 55 days total construction time.
The 100MW battery, which is located north of Jamestown, is set to be energized and tested in the coming days, according to a press release from the South Australian government. The battery is capable of powering more than 30,000 homes.
Musk’s initial promise followed remarks in March from Lyndon Rive, Tesla’s vice president for energy products, who stated that the company would be able to install the batteries within 100 days in a contract.
Upon seeing the statement, Australian co-founder and co-CEO of the software company Atlassian took to Twitter to ask Musk how committed the company was to the promise. In response, Musk pledged to do the work for free if the company could not meet Rive’s 100 day target.
Tesla will get the system installed and working 100 days from contract signature or it is free. That serious enough for you?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 10, 2017
Tesla eventually won the bid to build the battery in July, out of a group of 90 companies. At the time, Musk estimated that failing to meet the deadline would cost approximately $50 million USD. He also said the previous largest battery record measured in at 30MW.
“The world’s largest lithium ion battery will be an important part of our energy mix, and it sends the clearest message that South Australia will be a leader renewable energy with battery storage,” said Jay Weatherhill, South Australia’s premier, in a press statement.
Via: The Verge
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