Non-PowerShare home power

[CyberTW]

Ok Electricians and those much smarter at power than me.

I am due to receive my CTAWD next week, and we just recently had a power outage here in suburb Portland. I have an electrician buddy who could install a manual transfer switch for a portable generator for pretty dang cheap.

so a couple questions…

can the Cybertruck act like a generator to the home via the bed outlets?
If so, how much / what can it power in a suburban house and for how long?

worst case, extension cords can power a fridge and a few things (straight from the bed outlets), correct?

it seems as though the PowerShare rollout up here is difficult because they won’t just send us the equipment and let a local electrician install it, so I am looking at other options.. and using it as a home generator essentially to get by for a couple hours (or a day) is a good option.
Thoughts?

Also, I find it odd I can find no examples of anyone doing this through searches, which makes question if there is an issue with my thinking

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[Seribus]

I'm curious too. For Powershare I got a quote of high $3k today. It's a nice have but I don't think I'd benefit that much considering I rarely have power outages. I do want a professional install of a WC.

 

[Woodrick]

Ok Electricians and those much smarter at power than me.

I am due to receive my CTAWD next week, and we just recently had a power outage here in suburb Portland. I have an electrician buddy who could install a manual transfer switch for a portable generator for pretty dang cheap.

so a couple questions…

can the Cybertruck act like a generator to the home via the bed outlets?
If so, how much / what can it power in a suburban house and for how long?

worst case, extension cords can power a fridge and a few things (straight from the bed outlets), correct?

it seems as though the PowerShare rollout up here is difficult because they won’t just send us the equipment and let a local electrician install it, so I am looking at other options.. and using it as a home generator essentially to get by for a couple hours (or a day) is a good option.
Thoughts?

Also, I find it odd I can find no examples of anyone doing this through searches, which makes question if there is an issue with my thinking

The Cybertruck can provide through the NEMA 14-50 outlet in the bed, 240V@ 50A.
This will be similar to a portable generator and may not be enough for the entire house.
It will be a manual switchover. And the truck must be manually touched every 12 hours to reenable it.

 

[CyberTW]

The Cybertruck can provide through the NEMA 14-50 outlet in the bed, 240V@ 50A.
This will be similar to a portable generator and may not be enough for the entire house.
It will be a manual switchover. And the truck must be manually touched every 12 hours to reenable it.

But it would be enough to switch on central HVAC, fridge and a few things like internet?

why manually touched? Basically open the truck?
Thanks for the response!

 

[Woodrick]

But it would be enough to switch on central HVAC, fridge and a few things like internet?

why manually touched? Basically open the truck?
Thanks for the response!

It's the HVAC that is generally the problem. I was hoping that when you said Portland, you weren't going to mention it.

 

[Carlos Thomas]

You need something like this: https://a.co/d/0fQLt4Wm

The 240v plug in the back pumps out a continuous 9.6 kW, which or more than enough to power your entire home depending on what you are running. We don't have AC here in the SF Bay Area, so it can power our home pretty easily. During a power outage, I probably would not run the washer or dryer either. Dishes probably would get washed by hand. So my 3,000 sqft home would be perfectly fine for about 4 to 5 days.

If you have the Powershare, then you can pump out 11.5 kW of continuous power.

 

[CyberTW]

It's the HVAC that is generally the problem. I was hoping that when you said Portland, you weren't going to mention it.

What do you mean? I’m just curious if that would work? Trying to go into the thing fully loaded with the knowledge needed, so I set my expectations correctly

 

[CyberTW]

You need something like this: https://a.co/d/0fQLt4Wm

The 240v plug in the back pumps out a continuous 9.6 kW, which or more than enough to power your entire home depending on what you are running. We don't have AC here in the SF Bay Area, so it can power our home pretty easily. During a power outage, I probably would not run the washer or dryer either. Dishes probably would get washed by hand. So my 3,000 sqft home would be perfectly fine for about 4 to 5 days.

If you have the Powershare, then you can pump out 11.5 kW of continuous power.

This is very helpful thank you! Ya in a power outage, AC (or heat in the winter) is nice if it works, then it is the fridge and maybe powering internet and a tv to watch movies in the outage.. we have a gas stove, so… I won’t run my whole house as normal, but AC (like today is 100 out), and fridge power with a few lights is what I would do.. no need for laundry, dishes or oven in reality

 

[CyberTW]

You need something like this: https://a.co/d/0fQLt4Wm

The 240v plug in the back pumps out a continuous 9.6 kW, which or more than enough to power your entire home depending on what you are running. We don't have AC here in the SF Bay Area, so it can power our home pretty easily. During a power outage, I probably would not run the washer or dryer either. Dishes probably would get washed by hand. So my 3,000 sqft home would be perfectly fine for about 4 to 5 days.

If you have the Powershare, then you can pump out 11.5 kW of continuous power.

Has anyone on here actually supplied their house with a Cybertruck through normal generator ways, not PowerShare?

 

[Carlos Thomas]

 

[Woodrick]

What do you mean? I’m just curious if that would work? Trying to go into the thing fully loaded with the knowledge needed, so I set my expectations correctly

HVAC units can draw significantly more power than the Cybertruck is capable of producing. It is possible that yours may not.
I'm in the South, my A/C covers 4500 sqft. I think that it has a 100A breaker! And those big compressors and fan motors require a heck of a lot to start.
Just get an electrician to look at your options.

But even if it does work, with the A/C running, you would be looking at X hours of runtime. Without it running, it's probably well over 5X hours of runtime.

 

[Jager]

As @Woodrick already mentioned, the NEMA 14-50 outlet in the bed will provide most of what the PowerShare Gateway solution provides.

I currently power my well pump with a 7.5 kWh gasoline generator (Honda EU7000is), connecting to a single-circuit transfer switch out at the well that I installed a couple years ago. Other AC needs in the house such as refrigerator/freezer, window AC units, lamps, Cable box, etc., are energized via extension cords from the generator.

The better solution is a multi-circuit transfer switch at the main electric panel. Given enough power, you can use high-demand circuits like electric water heater, stove, range, clothes dryer, and (sometimes) central HVAC.

The biggest challenge with things like central HVAC are their typical very high startup current requirements. Your unit will have a Locked Rotor spec which will tell you how much power you need to start up your HVAC.

At first blush, the PowerShare Gateway seems way cool. But it's really nothing more than a very nice transfer switch. I was aghast at the quote I received ($4,500). I plan on just using the NEMA 14-50 in the bed.

If you have a conventional transfer switch setup, you'll need something like this (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07ZL3Z2ZB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) to adapt the NEMA 14-50 outlet so it can be interfaced with the inlet box. I ordered one today. I pick up my CT day after tomorrow.

 

[Woodrick]

Refrigerator, Internet, TV, lights are all really light loads, don't really need to even think about them.
Anything with a motor starts to become a bigger deal.

Yes, the refrigerator has a motor, but they are pretty efficient these days, and just keep the damn door closed when access isn't essential.

I've got a 60kW generator. It will run everything AND charge both EVs.

 

[waters212]

That's a really great photo, man. Good luck!

 

[Cyber Satoshi]

To make this work well I think you'll have to install a soft start on your HVAC (at least that would be ideal) .... I have the generator plug already wired to my panel... will be attempting this soon

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