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Tesla’s million mile battery is a golden goose for large-scale energy projects

Tesla Megapack. | Image: Tesla

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Tesla Energy is a sleeping giant, rarely considered by analysts covering TSLA stock and largely underrated compared to the company’s electric car business. But something in Tesla’s pipeline may very well be a big catalyst that can fully awaken the behemoth that is the company’s Energy division: the upcoming million-mile battery.

Tesla’s million-mile battery is starting to look very close to production. Patents filed by the company have seemingly teased details about its characteristics. Elon Musk himself has spoken highly about the next-generation batteries, and studies from physicist Jeff Dahn’s team of researchers at Dalhousie University have suggested that such milestones are feasible. Tesla also appears to be gathering the necessary pieces for a massive play on batteries, as hinted at by its acquisition of battery-centric firms like Maxwell and Hibar.

True to its namesake, the million-mile battery is expected to support an electric car for 1 million miles, making them last significantly longer on the roads than comparable petrol-powered vehicles. Such a battery will likely give EVs an even bigger edge compared to their fossil fuel-powered counterparts, especially in terms of practicality. After all, a car that rarely needs maintenance and lasts a million miles is a better buy than one that requires an oil change every 5,000 miles and lasts only about 300,000 miles with extreme care.

(Credit: Tesla)

Electric vehicles are not the only ones that will benefit from Tesla’s million-mile battery. Longer lasting batteries will also be extremely valuable for the company’s energy storage products, making them possibly last decades after their initial installation. This has a lot of positive implications for Tesla Energy, especially with regards to its grid-scale battery solutions. If Tesla’s batteries can match or outlast their fossil fuel-powered grid-scale counterparts, the company could very well see a spike in the demand for its battery storage solutions.

A good example of these benefits lies in how Tesla’s battery storage units are used to support communities that have no access to the power grid. With a million-mile battery, Tesla’s energy storage products could last for a very long time, practically ensuring that communities located off the beaten path could get access to sustainable power for decades.

Tesla Powerpacks were installed on a small town in the Philippines to help address frequent power outages in the area. (Credit: Solar Phils)

The value of Tesla’s battery storage products, such as its Powerpacks and Powerwalls, is only getting more and more prominent with time. Tesla’s projects in South Australia are proof of this. The Hornsdale Power Reserve has saved residents in the region from intermittent blackouts, and the company’s Powerwalls are now being used as the backbone of a 50,000-strong Virtual Power Plant initiative.

Tesla’s million-mile battery can very well be the key for the Powerwall, Powerpack, and Megapack to dominate in their respective segments. A scenario where a Tesla battery storage system lasts decades is not too farfetched either since batteries used for stationary storage are not subject to the same strains experienced by those used in the company’s high-performance electric cars. Tesla’s batteries are already proven to be quick, cost-effective, and high-quality. With the assurance that they will last for a very long time, there’s a good chance that numerous cities and countries across the globe will adopt them for their energy needs.

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When this happens, the sleeping giant that is Tesla Energy will likely be awaked fully. Such a scenario bodes incredibly well for Tesla, especially since investing legends such as Ron Baron have estimated that the company’s Energy business has the potential to be worth $500 billion on its own, on par with Tesla’s electric car division. The million-mile battery could very well be the key to this.

Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Energy

Tesla Megapacks powers the xAI Colossus supercomputer

Tesla Megapacks step in to stabilize xAI’s Colossus supercomputer, replacing natural gas turbines. Musk’s ventures keep intertwining.

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(Credit: Tesla Megapack)

Tesla Megapack batteries will power the xAI Colossus supercomputer in Memphis to ensure power stability. The collaboration between Tesla and xAI highlights the synergy among Elon Musk’s ventures.

The artificial intelligence startup has integrated Tesla Megapacks to manage outages and demand surges, bolstering the facility’s reliability. The Greater Memphis Chamber announced that Colossus, recently connected to a new 150-megawatt electric substation, is completing its first construction phase. This transition addresses criticism from environmental justice groups over the initial use of natural gas turbines.

“The temporary natural gas turbines that were being used to power the Phase I GPUs prior to grid connection are now being demobilized and will be removed from the site over the next two months.

“About half of the operating turbines will remain operating to power Phase II GPUs of xAI until a second substation (#22) already in construction is completed and connected to the electric grid, which is planned for the Fall of 2025, at which time the remaining turbines will be relegated to a backup power role,” the Chamber stated.

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xAI’s rapid development of Colossus reflects its ambition to advance AI capabilities, but the project has faced scrutiny for environmental impacts. The shift to Megapacks and grid power aims to mitigate these concerns while ensuring operational continuity.

The Megapack deployment underscores the collaboration among Musk’s companies, including Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and The Boring Company. Tesla appears to be the common link between all of Musk’s companies. For example, The Boring Company built a tunnel in Giga, Texas. In addition, Musk has hinted at a potential collaboration between the Tesla Optimus Bot and Neuralink. And from January 2024 to February 2025, xAI invested $230 million in Megapacks, per a Tesla filing.

Tesla Energy reported a 156% year-over-year increase in Q1 2025, deploying 10.4 GWh of storage products, including Megapacks and Powerwalls. Tesla’s plans for a new Megapack factory in Waller County, Texas, which is expected to create 1,500 jobs in the area, further signal its commitment to scaling energy solutions.

As xAI leverages Tesla’s Megapacks to power Colossus, the integration showcases Musk’s interconnected business ecosystem. The supercomputer’s enhanced stability positions xAI to drive AI innovation, while Tesla’s energy solutions gain prominence, setting the stage for broader technological and economic impacts.

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Energy

Tesla Energy celebrates one decade of sustainability

Tesla Energy has gone far since its early days, and it is now becoming a progressively bigger part of the company.

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(Credit: Tesla)

Tesla Energy recently celebrated its 10th anniversary with a dedicated video showcasing several of its milestones over the past decade.

Tesla Energy has gone far since its early days, and it is now becoming a progressively bigger part of the company.

Tesla Energy Early Days

When Elon Musk launched Tesla Energy in 2015, he noted that the business is a fundamental transformation of how the world works. To start, Tesla Energy offered the Powerwall, a 7 kWh/10 kWh home battery system, and the Powerpack, a grid-capable 100 kWh battery block that is designed for scalability. A few days after the products’ launch, Musk noted that Tesla had received 38,000 reservations for the Powerwall and 2,500 reservations for the Powerpack

Tesla Energy’s beginnings would herald its quiet growth, with the company later announcing products like the Solar Roof tile, which is yet to be ramped, and the successor to the Powerwall, the 13.5 kWh Powerwall 2. In recent years, Tesla Energy also launched its Powerwall 3 home battery and the massive Megapack, a 3.9 MWh monster of a battery unit that has become the backbone for energy storage systems across the globe.

Key Milestones

As noted by Tesla Energy in its recent video, it has now established facilities that allow the company to manufacture 20,000 units of the Megapack every year, which should help grow the 23 GWh worth of Megapacks that have already been deployed globally. 

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The Powerwall remains a desirable home battery as well, with more than 850,000 units installed worldwide. These translate to 12 GWh of residential entry storage delivered to date. Just like the Megapack, Tesla is also ramping its production of the Powerwall, allowing the division to grow even more.

Tesla Energy’s Role

While Tesla Energy does not catch as much headlines as the company’s electric vehicle businesses, its contributions to the company’s bottom line have been growing. In the first quarter of 2025 alone, Tesla Energy deployed 10.4 GWh of energy storage products. Powerwall deployments also crossed 1 GWh in one quarter for the first time. As per Tesla in its Q1 2025 Update Letter, the gross margin for the Energy division has improved sequentially as well.

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Tesla Energy shines with substantial YoY growth in deployments

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Credit: Tesla Megapack

Tesla Energy shined in what was a weak delivery report for the first quarter, as the company’s frequently-forgotten battery storage products performed extraordinarily well.

Tesla reported its Q1 production, delivery, and deployment figures for the first quarter of the year, and while many were less-than-excited about the automotive side, the Energy division performed well with 10.4 GWh of energy storage products deployed during the first quarter.

This was a 156 percent increase year-over-year and the company’s second-best quarter in terms of energy deployments to date. Only Q4 2024 was better, as 11 GWh was recorded.

Tesla Energy is frequently forgotten and not talked about enough. The company has continued to deploy massive energy storage projects across the globe, and as it recorded 31.5 GWh of deployments last year, 2025 is already looking as if it will be a record-setting year if it continues at this pace.

Tesla Megapacks to back one of Europe’s largest energy storage sites

Although Energy performed well, many investors are privy to that of the automotive division’s performance, which is where some concern lies. Tesla had a weak quarter for deliveries, missing Wall Street estimates by a considerable margin.

There are two very likely reasons as to why this happened: the first is Tesla’s switchover to the new Model Y at its production facilities across the globe. Tesla said it lost “several weeks” of production due to the updating of manufacturing lines as it rolled out a new version of its all-electric crossover.

Secondly, Tesla could be facing some pressure from pushback against the brand, which is what many analysts will say. Despite the publicity of attacks on Tesla drivers and their vehicles, as well as the company’s showrooms, it would be safe to assume that we will have a better picture painted of what the issue is in Q2 after the company reports numbers in July.

New Tesla Model Y was a best-seller in China in March 2025

If Tesla is still struggling with lackluster delivery figures in Q2 after the Model Y is ramped and deliveries are more predictable and consistent, we could see where the argument for brand damage is legitimate. However, we are more prone to believe the Model Y, which accounts for most of Tesla’s sales, and its production ramp is likely the cause for what happened in Q1.

In what was a relatively bleak quarter, Tesla Energy still shines as the bright spot for the quarter.

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