Energy
Tesla Powerwall 2 gets included in Australia’s battery subsidy plan for 40k homes
In a rather ironic twist, Tesla and its Powerwall 2 battery have been added to the list of choices for South Australia’s Home Battery Scheme, which aims to provide subsidies to 40,000 homes. The inclusion of the Powerwall 2 battery to the subsidy scheme comes amidst the ongoing progress of Tesla’s ambitious Virtual Power Plant in the region.
The update, which was recently reported by One Step Off The Grid, noted that Tesla’s 13.5kWh lithium-ion home battery systems are now eligible for the full AU$6,000 (US$4,300) subsidy offered by the SA government. As an additional means to attract buyers, Tesla has set up a temporary stall at the Rundle Mall in Adelaide, to showcase its battery storage technology. As noted by the Australian-based publication, though, customers are being informed that the installation of Powerwall 2 batteries would likely involve a lot of waiting.
Solar Quotes’ Ronald Brakels, who visited the Tesla pop-up store, was reportedly informed that there is an estimated 12-week waiting period for Powerwall 2 batteries. Brakels further added that he was quoted AU$9,300 (US$6,600) for the Powerwall 2 and the installation after the AU$6,000 (US$4,300) subsidy is applied. That’s still a substantial amount, and would likely be out of reach for some homeowners who are in need of a system that can lower their power bills.
This was among the concerns that were raised last year when South Australia’s Home Battery Scheme was announced as a possible replacement for Tesla’s Virtual Power Plant project. Not long after he was elected, South Australia premier Steven Marshall expressed his opposition to Tesla’s proposal of establishing a 250 MW/650 MWh virtual power plant comprised of 50,000 residential homes and Powerwall 2 batteries. As an alternative, Marshall proposed a subsidy program instead, which would lower the price of battery storage units for 40,000 homes.
“(Former Premier Jay Weatherill) was doing (Tesla’s Virtual Power Plant) for Housing Trust homes in South Australia… That’s not part of our plan. What we are going to do is provide a subsidy to get (those with) solar rooftops systems with some storage capacity,” Marshall said before shortly before he was sworn in last year.
Marshall’s plan had stark differences with Tesla’s plan for a Virtual Power Plant. For one, the battery subsidy would be offered to homes that are already equipped with solar panels. Apart from this, homeowners would be required to purchase their own batteries, albeit at a discounted price. Tesla’s Virtual Power Plant, on the other hand, plans to provide solar panels and Powerwall 2 batteries to 25,000 Housing Trust households and 25,000 private low-income homes for free.
Seemingly after receiving flak for his lack of support for Tesla’s Virtual Power Plant, Marshall eventually took a softer stance on the project. By the end of May 2018, Energy Minister Dan van Holst Pellekaan announced that the South Australian government would be pursuing Tesla’s Virtual Power Plant and Marshall’s Home Battery Scheme side-by-side.
Since then, Tesla’s Virtual Power Plant has completed its first phase, which involves the installation of solar panels and batteries to the first 100 houses in the system. Marshall’s Home Battery Scheme, on the other hand, was launched last October, and is expected to add up to 400 MWh of storage to the state’s grid when complete. Ultimately, the 400 MWh from Marshall’s Home Battery Scheme would be a nice addition to the 650 MWh of energy storage that would be provided by Tesla’s Virtual Power Plant once all 50,000 residential units are connected and online.
Energy
Tesla launches Cybertruck vehicle-to-grid program in Texas
The initiative was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Tesla has launched a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program in Texas, allowing eligible Cybertruck owners to send energy back to the grid during high-demand events and receive compensation on their utility bills.
The initiative, dubbed Powershare Grid Support, was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Texas’ Cybertruck V2G program
In its post on X, Tesla Energy confirmed that vehicle-to-grid functionality is “coming soon,” starting with select Texas markets. Under the new Powershare Grid Support program, owners of the Cybertruck equipped with Powershare home backup hardware can opt in through the Tesla app and participate in short-notice grid stress events.
During these events, the Cybertruck automatically discharges excess energy back to the grid, supporting local utilities such as CenterPoint Energy and Oncor. In return, participants receive compensation in the form of bill credits. Tesla noted that the program is currently invitation-only as part of an early adopter rollout.
The launch builds on the Cybertruck’s existing Powershare capability, which allows the vehicle to provide up to 11.5 kW of power for home backup. Tesla added that the program is expected to expand to California next, with eligibility tied to utilities such as PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E.
Powershare Grid Support
To participate in Texas, Cybertruck owners must live in areas served by CenterPoint Energy or Oncor, have Powershare equipment installed, enroll in the Tesla Electric Drive plan, and opt in through the Tesla app. Once enrolled, vehicles would be able to contribute power during high-demand events, helping stabilize the grid.
Tesla noted that events may occur with little notice, so participants are encouraged to keep their Cybertrucks plugged in when at home and to manage their discharge limits based on personal needs. Compensation varies depending on the electricity plan, similar to how Powerwall owners in some regions have earned substantial credits by participating in Virtual Power Plant (VPP) programs.
Tesla is updating Cybertruck owners on its timeline of a massive feature that has yet to ship: Powershare with Powerwall.
Powershare is a bidirectional charging feature exclusive to Cybertruck, which allows the vehicle’s battery to act as a portable power source for homes, appliances, tools, other EVs, and more. It was announced in late 2023 as part of Tesla’s push into vehicle-to-everything energy sharing, and acting as a giant portable charger is the main advantage, as it can provide backup power during outages.
Cybertruck’s Powershare system supports both vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H), making it flexible and well-rounded for a variety of applications.
However, even though the feature was promised with Cybertruck, it has yet to be shipped to vehicles. Tesla communicated with owners through email recently regarding Powershare with Powerwall, which essentially has the pickup act as an extended battery.
Powerwall discharge would be prioritized before tapping into the truck’s larger pack.
However, Tesla is still working on getting the feature out to owners, an email said:
“We’re writing to let you know that the Powershare with Powerwall feature is still in development and is now scheduled for release in mid-2026.
This new release date gives us additional time to design and test this feature, ensuring its ability to communicate and optimize energy sharing between your vehicle and many configurations and generations of Powerwall. We are also using this time to develop additional Powershare features that will help us continue to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Owners have expressed some real disappointment in Tesla’s continuous delays in releasing the feature, as it was expected to be released by late 2024, but now has been pushed back several times to mid-2026, according to the email.
Foundation Series Cybertruck buyers paid extra, expecting the feature to be rolled out with their vehicle upon pickup.
Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, Wes Morrill, even commented on the holdup:
As a Cybertruck owner who also has Powerwall, I empathize with the disappointed comments.
To their credit, the team has delivered powershare functionality to Cybertruck customers who otherwise have no backup with development of the powershare gateway. As well as those with solar…
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 12, 2025
He said that “it turned out to be much harder than anticipated to make powershare work seamlessly with existing Powerwalls through existing wall connectors. Two grid-forming devices need to negotiate who will form and who will follow, depending on the state of charge of each, and they need to do this without a network and through multiple generations of hardware, and test and validate this process through rigorous certifications to ensure grid safety.”
It’s nice to see the transparency, but it is justified for some Cybertruck owners to feel like they’ve been bait-and-switched.
Energy
Tesla starts hiring efforts for Texas Megafactory
Tesla’s Brookshire site is expected to produce 10,000 Megapacks annually, equal to 40 gigawatt hours of energy storage.
Tesla has officially begun hiring for its new $200 million Megafactory in Brookshire, Texas, a manufacturing hub expected to employ 1,500 people by 2028. The facility, which will build Tesla’s grid-scale Megapack batteries, is part of the company’s growing energy storage footprint.
Tesla’s hiring efforts for the Texas Megafactory are hinted at by the job openings currently active on the company’s Careers website.
Tesla’s Texas Megafactory
Tesla’s Brookshire site is expected to produce 10,000 Megapacks annually, equal to 40 gigawatt hours of energy storage, similar to the Lathrop Megafactory in California. Tesla’s Careers website currently lists over 30 job openings for the site, from engineers, welders, and project managers. Each of the openings is listed for Brookshire, Texas.
The company has leased two buildings in Empire West Business Park, with over $194 million in combined property and equipment investment. Tesla’s agreement with Waller County includes a 60% property tax abatement, contingent on meeting employment benchmarks: 375 jobs by 2026, 750 by 2027, and 1,500 by 2028, as noted in a report from the Houston Business Journal. Tesla is required to employ at least 1,500 workers in the facility through the rest of the 10-year abatement period.
Tesla’s clean energy boom
City officials have stated that Tesla’s arrival marks a turning point for the Texas city, as it highlights a shift from logistics to advanced clean energy manufacturing. Ramiro Bautista from Brookshire’s economic development office, highlighted this in a comment to the Journal.
“(Tesla) has great-paying jobs. Not just that, but the advanced manufacturing (and) clean energy is coming to the area,” he said. “So it’s not just your normal logistics manufacturing. This is advanced manufacturing coming to this area, and this brings a different type of job and investment into the local economy.”
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