GM is one of several automakers jumping into the home energy market and has just detailed its first three Ultium Home products. These offerings will directly rival Tesla’s Powerwall products. The company says the systems are designed to provide independence and security for homeowners who won’t have to worry about being left without power when energy isn’t available from the grid, perhaps due a storm bringing down power lines, or if they’re relying on solar power.
The home energy systems seem like a natural fit for buyers of GM’s new generation of electric vehicles, but the firm says it has configured the three bundles to make them suitable both for EV owners and drivers still happy with their combustion vehicles.
First up is the Ultium Home V2H Bundle. This one is designed for EV buyers who want to take advantage of their car’s V2H (vehicle to home) charging capability, though obviously not all EVs offer bi-directional charging. It comes with a GM PowerShift Charger that can dish out up to 19.2 kW of AC power, and also the Ultium Home V2H Enablement Kit. This includes an inverter, home hub, dark start battery and offers 9.6 kW of discharge power.
Related: GM Is Taking On The Tesla Powerwall Through New Energy Storage Business
The second option, the Ultium Home Energy System, is very similar, but adds a stationary storage facility. It consists of the PowerShift Charger and Ultium Home V2H Enablement Kit from the first bundle plus a GM Powerbank that can store solar and grid energy. Buyers can choose between 5 kW/10.6 kWh and 7 kW/17.7 kWh systems.
And finally, for homeowners who want the static storage system but don’t own an EV, there’s the Ultium Home Energy Storage Bundle. As the name suggests it gets you the GM PowerBank, inverter and home hub, but not the PowerShift Charger or Ultium Home V2H Enablement Kit.
GM says buyers looking to integrate solar energy will be able to do so via SunPower, GM Energy’s exclusive solar provider, and whichever system you buy you’ll have access to the GM Energy Cloud software platform to help manage all of that juice. Prices and on-sale dates are still TBC.
