Tesla Energy Woes
I'm an investor and supporter of the transition to sustainable energy + transportation but Tesla Energy has let me down in a huge way. We own a Model X and in October 2017 signed up for solar panels + power wall. After 7 months I was finally offered the option to split the solar from powerwalls since they basically aren't manufacturing any meaningful qauntity of powerwalls for the US market. Had to wait another 4 months for a 'redesign' without the powerwalls. They came and installed the system in May. It took them 2 weeks to do a 1 day job. Due to heat and their own schedule. They still haven't come to paint and finish stuff they damaged. Now I'm making solar loan payments and paying an electric bill and Tesla Energy hasn't even submitted to the ulitilty to turn on my system. Tesla keeps blaming my utility and telling me to call and pressure then and finally today someone at the utility with actual experience told me Tesla hasn't submitted proof we passed inspection. This ignores the fact that Tesla didn't show up for the first attempt at getting inspection so we failed because no one was there to open the electrical panels and inverter for the city inspector. Oh and did I mention they did the install before receiving the final permits so we had to wait 4 weeks after install was finished to request inspection because they didn't actually have the permits before they started the job. They had me put a false permit in my window...border line fraud in my opinion as I'd never have allowed the install to take place without the permits. So I'll be taking a ride down to my city inspectors office to get documentation and do Tesla's job. I'm so disappointed, we lost out on an entire summer of production. Our pre-sales and post-sales account manager sucks and doesn't even seem to know Tesla's procedures. I called our loan originator and asked them why they dispersed the loan to Tesla when the system isn't fully installed and hasn't passed inspection, nor did they confirm with me that installation even took place... They said this is how it's done. Couldn't be more disappointed with Tesla / SolarCity.... also, I'm pretty sure this shaddy financing is what led to the mortgage crisis... Great to see loan originator are protecting consumers more these days ../s
So... I <3 your products and vision... But hate almost everything else about you. This is the delema of a Tesla customer.
Tesla is pounding on my roof right now installing my panels. I also waited months for the Powerwall and they finally split up my install as well. I hope the rest of it goes more smoothly than your experience. I've also had quite a bit of frustration with local customer service but it's gotten remarkably better in the last couple months after they transitioned me to working with someone in their Las Vegas center. She responded to every email and has been super helpful.
Mine were very responsive too but once the panels were installed and they got their $.... that responsiveness stoped and the true incompetence came through. Call your town and see if the permit changes were approved. That was the biggest part of my shit show... had I known that it would save a ton of grief.
Yes exactly this. They always responded to calls and emails until it was installed and approved and funds disbursed. My inverter didn't work from day one and I'd have to make 30 calls just to send a tech out to try and force a firmware update. "Well, it didn't work" no shit this is the fourth time doing this, why don't you just replace it? ,"We're waiting on guidance from the vendor" dude, if the shit doesn't work you tell the vendor to replace it and fix it/refurbish it on their own time not your customers' time!
I'll have to check and make sure. Somewhat related question — can you use the Tesla app to see solar generation if you don't have a Powerwall?
Reports are that this works: https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/tesla-app-without-powerwall.119791/
Like you I am a huge fan of what Tesla are doing in both energy and cars (but unlike you have not had any bad experiences with them) however can I suggest you talk to a lawyer?
It seems you have been beyond reasonable but it sounds like Tesla have failed on multiple fronts - install prior to receiving permits is simply totally unacceptable.
Good luck and I hope everything gets resolved to your satisfaction.
So what did you put in the window if there were no permits?
So I've done plenty of my own work at home w/o a permit and then had to get one later to have the inspection done. Nothing wrong with that, inspectors have never cared.
However, for a professional company to do something this major w/o a permit seems like a big oversight.
But more worrying, to ask you to knowingly mislead others by displaying a permit in your window seems fraudulent. And it makes no sense, if they took so long to start the work, why not just get a permit? They were going to need one for the inspection anyways.
You can't do the work before getting a permit in most towns. That will earn you a fine at best and require you to take down the work at worse. The town make not approve your plans... Then what? For simple stuff the risk is low, for big work like solar panels... It's a huge risk if they disagree that your roof can carry the load. In my case, I know my town takes 6 weeks for permit changes to get approved so I wouldn't have let them do the install yet because they would never turn on the system before the loan payments started.
Yeah, that makes sense. Seems like they didn't punish Tesla in this case though.
Yeah I was there too. Just because Elon answers a few random complaints doesn't mean he looks at or gives a shit about 90% of them.
2 powerwalls on order, no communication whatsoever on those or solar panels/shingles. That's Ohio for you, the 9th largest state for Tesla sales. What did I do? Ordered 32 panels and installed myself. LG chem batteries will be back in stock later this year. Couldn't be more pleased with not involving Tesla after all.
7 months, so February? You should've waited! I signed my agreement in October and got installed finally in March.
That was supposed to be in January after months of permit delays that they blamed on city, but city said they asked some questions about the power wall and took months to get a response. Multiple cancellations (several without notice until I asked why nobody showed up) later.
Then my inverter didnt work from day one. Same thing, I was already paying my loan while buying 100% of power from utility until last month. Took 3 months of no answers and few returned calls to finally fix my inverter and actually generate power.
Now I want more panels and another Powerwall because my setup barely is enough to keep me off of peak time power. The home is not empty during the day so most solar gets used up, very little feed back to utility. But I remember my rep saying they won't tilt mount on north roof, probably because of guaranteed generation? Anybody with this problem have feedback? My solar loan + grid power bill is certainly lower than if I were grid only, but I'd like to get to the point of nuclear apocalypse being a minor inconvenience
I installed Solarcity/Tesla panels over 5 years ago. I convinced about a dozen other people to sign up too. Every one of us has been pretty happy with the whole experience - I mean there were lots of little nitpicks, but generally it's all gone smoothly.
It's funny that when I had mine installed, it was basically done and sitting there, and after a day or two of me pondering the waste of having a system that's done but not doing anything, I emailed the head engineer for our public utility - who I'd met when he did a presentation on solar a year earlier - and asked when it would be inspected and how long that usually takes and he said "they haven't scheduled the inspection yet... but I'll stop by your house on my way home from work today and will check it out and turn it on if it passes", and sure enough, it was powered up by the time I got home that night. I love having a PUC.
But I am sorry to hear about your issues. Hopefully it goes smoother into the future.
Powerwall production has been a "shitshow" due to Puerto Rico and Model 3 ramping up so no surprises there, totally normal experience.
As for the rest, just make sure you won't have any long lasting (legal) issues. Maybe talk to Tesla and try to get some goodies (better warranty, etc) for all the wasted time and money.
True. But Elon did say in the conference call this week they are returning some focus back to energy.
Yes and that's a good thing because there was also a lot of FUD regarding Powerwalls lately.
Tesla hasn't submitted proof we passed inspection. This ignores the fact that Tesla didn't show up for the first attempt at getting inspection so we failed because no one was there to open the electrical panels and inverter for the city inspector.
That's typically the homeowner's responsibility.
I was home and I tried to do it and the inspector refused. I'm not the electrician listed on the permit so he wouldn't let me do it. He also had questions about why the neutral wires used were smaller than the others. I had a copy of the plans and it called for the smaller neutral but I couldn't say why. Also Tesla had to bring a letter with the engineer's seal on it to show that the weight calculations for the roof were done. That isn't something Tesla would share with me.
I understand where you are coming from but don't pretend to know the local ordinance of every town in America. :)
What city/state do you live in? I would go after the county if they claimed I, as the homeowner, couldn't open my own breaker panel! If the neutral is attached to ground, then it doesn't need to be the same gauge as the hot leg. Sounds like your inspector was a noob.
I don’t know why you got downvoted. I agree wholeheartedly on both points. Neutral wires are almost never spec’d to be the same gauge as hot wires, and opening a panel is no harder or more dangerous with the main switched off than changing the batteries in your kid’s toy.
dude, that is a dead end. City Inspectors are appointed... not even elected. It is lose lose... lose money and lose time... and lose out if I ever do any work int he future.
My inspector, like most... is drunk with the small amount of power they have. :)
Without any evidence this story seems contrived. It may very well be true, every word but it’s not passing my smell test.
I do believe that Tesla isn’t delivering powerwalls due to the powerpak projects going on around the world: Australia, California, Puerto Rico, etc. I predicted that would happen when I saw those projects coming.
What can I provide to prove it? Picture of solar system and old (non-net) meter as well as contract dates?
You are right this shouldn't happen.
Let's hope they ramp up the PW2 production and not fully neglect it
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