Tesla and its solar partners in Hawaii are helping the local popular in Maui amid the devasting fires with interesting looking makeshift Tesla Powerwall-based power stations.
In recent days, Maui was hit by devasting wildfires that have ravaged communities, taken the lives of over a hundred people, and still many are missing.
Yesterday, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, said that both companies were doing their “best to be helpful in Hawaii”:
SpaceX had confirmed that it sent hundreds of Starlink antennas and routers to keep locals connected amid the infrastructure being destroyed.
As for Tesla, it wasn’t clear what it was doing to help, but we are starting to get a better idea.
Local Will Cain shared a video of a “Tesla Power station” helping provide power to the affected area:
The piece of paper on the station reads “Tesla and Rising Sun Solar Maui Community Power Station,” which would indicate Tesla has partnered with Rising Sun Solar, a Tesla certified solar and Powerwall installer, to provide the station.
The station seems to consist of two Tesla Powerwalls and a solar inverter fitted on a skid with some plywood:
It should provide 27 kWh of energy capacity and if connected with some solar panels, it can be charged back by the sun.
While it might not look good, it seems like a pretty efficient way to quickly deploy significant power and energy capacity in minutes.
Tesla sent similar systems in Ukraine last year, and it even produced a video showing how to use Powerwall as a makeshift mobile power station.