Tesla batteries will power California’s latest chic, sustainable dwelling units

Walden Monterey, a 609-acre exclusive coastal community in California, recently debuted its latest offering — a chic mobile dwelling unit that is 3D-printed, portable, fully sustainable, and powered by Tesla batteries. According to Walden founder Nick Jekogian, the Tesla-powered mobile dwelling units are designed to give potential homeowners a taste of what it feels like to experience an outdoor-centric lifestyle.

Walden Monterey is an “agrihood” community located about 8 hours south of Silicon Valley. Agrihood communities focus on agriculture, nature, and outdoor living. The 609-acre area is divided into 22 homes, with each property costing $5 million. As of November 2017, three properties have been sold, as noted in a Business Insider report.

Recently, however, the Walden Monterey founder revealed his plans to the make the buying experience more unique for potential property owners. Jekogian approached DFA studio founder Laith Sayigh to design an attractive, fully-sustainable dwelling unit that could be used by prospective buyers. The result is what DFA dubbed as Galini Sleeping Pods, small dwelling units that are built with sustainability in mind.

Each $250,000 Galini Sleeping Pod makes use of 3D-printing technology and fully sustainable materials. The pod’s exterior, for one, is covered in solar panels, and a wind turbine is fitted on its roof. A Tesla battery is installed in a “belly” under the floor of the 300-square-foot dwelling unit as well, which could be tapped to power, cool or heat the pod when needed.

The wood paneling, LED lighting, recycled plastic, plumbing and mechanical systems are all optimized for sustainability, as the Galini would be 97% material efficient, which means that only 3% of the components used in its construction will be wasted.

In a statement to the Business Insider, Sayigh, the Galini’s designer, stated that while the pod is designed to be friendly to the environment, it will still be very comfortable.

“If you’ve got Elon Musk coming to stay, you want to make sure the guy is comfortable,” he said.

While Tesla is still most well-known for its electric cars, the company’s energy solutions are starting to gain some real ground. Tesla’s industrial-grade Powerpacks, for one, are making a difference in areas such as South Australia, where the batteries are providing support for the region’s beleaguered power grid. The same is true for Puerto Rico, where Tesla is still in the process of helping the island nation get back on its feet through its solar panels, Powerwall, and Powerpack batteries.

The idea of using Tesla batteries as a part of a community has been suggested before. As we noted in a report back in 2016, a 41-acre suburb on the outskirts of Melbourne, Australia called YarraBend ended was dubbed as “Tesla Town” after its developer aimed to outfit every home with a 7 kWh Tesla Powerwall home battery, rooftop solar, and electric car charger.

Tesla’s batteries are not just for high-end suburbs, either. Just recently, the South Australian government greenlighted the Elon Musk-led company’s proposal to set up a 250 MW/650 MWh “virtual power plant” comprised of 50,000 low-cost residential units. Each home in the VPP will be equipped with rooftop solar and Powerwall 2 home batteries, which would help residents lower their power bills while providing grid stability during peak hours.

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