One percent down, 99 to go
Back at our fancy-pants mansion, the RST started with a 100-percent charge, and after an hour or so, the dashboard said it was down to 99 percent. The truck was pushing 5 kW into the house, but the system can handle up to 9.6 kWh of discharge power. While there didn’t seem to be an HVAC system online for the mild California evening, there were the aforementioned 51 LED lights, a sound system, outdoor lighting, a full kitchen’s worth of appliances, Internet, and likely security cameras and whatever else rich folks have in their house to keep the riff-raff at bay.
You can buy the system as modular pieces, so if you’re only interested in the super-fast level 2 PowerShift charger, you can snag it for $1,699. If you already have the charger at home, the inverter, hub, and Dark Start battery can be had for $5,600. There is no discount for bundling them together.
Later this year, you can purchase the hub, inverter, and storage pack for $11,000 or get the whole shebang, including the charger, for $12,699.
Keep in mind that those prices do not include installation. GM Energy has partnered with Qmerit to provide certified installers, and you may also receive a tax or installation credit with the purchase of your system. GM Energy has a nifty website to help you sort through the complexity.
In my situation, energy independence means a solar system, but for folks who have invested in a GM vehicle on the Ultium platform, this seems like an easy decision.
Remember, however, that the rest of the EV lineup—except for the GMC Sierra Denali EV—doesn’t have batteries as big as the Silverado EV’s. The Lyriq sports a 102 kWh battery, and the Blazer and Equinox have even smaller batteries. It’s always best to conserve during an emergency and hope your local grid isn’t down for too long.
