This Tesla caused quite a buzz when it bummed a charge in a small town
An “Unidentified Electric Vehicle” (UEV) made front-page news in a small town paper in Montana when it charged from a public outlet on Main Street.
EV charging has gotten pretty easy these days, even when driving through less-populated areas.
But those of us who have been driving EVs for a long time, or who have driven them in places where routes are underdeveloped, remember having to bum charges in strange places from time to time.
Well, that happened to a couple, Chad Lauterbach and Allis Markham, as they stopped to grab some electrons from a public outlet in the town of Ekalaka, Montana, population 404. The, uh, “drama” was reported by the local paper, the Ekalaka Eagle, and then picked up by the Montana Free Press.
On the very front page, right beside stories about the upcoming pet parade and weekly cribbage meetup at the senior center, a large photo of a Tesla Model Y plugged into a public outlet appears with the caption “BORROWED VOLTS.” The caption refers to the Model Y as a “UEV (unidentified electric vehicle)” and states that this may be the first electric vehicle charger in town, but also muses about whether the UEV had paid for its illicit gains.
The couple, who are from Los Angeles, were actually in town for several days, volunteering at the annual Dino Shindig at the Carter County Museum. Markham is a museum taxidermist who was working on paleo-recreations for the museum. Montana has a rich paleontological history, with one of the highest concentrations of dinosaur fossils of any state in the US. They drove the Model Y instead of Markham’s ’89 Land Cruiser FJ62, since the latter gets ten miles per gallon.
On the way into town, the Model Y repeatedly warned that there wouldn’t be enough Supercharger availability to continue the trip. These are standard warnings when using Tesla’s in-car navigation, which automatically routes trips through the most convenient Supercharger locations.
They were staying at a farmhouse 20 miles outside of town, but were charging off a 120V outlet there, which meant a quick trip in and out of town would take a good ten hours or more of charging to compensate. Plus, moving the car along the dirt easement in the pasture that led to the farmhouse proved difficult – not because of the terrain, but because the cows weren’t interested in moving out of the way for a silent car.
The couple were offered an F-150 to get around, and thought they’d leave the Tesla at the farmhouse. But while in town, Lauterbach noticed a spare 14-50 outlet on Main Street, and decided to give charging from it a try, and use the Tesla to get around instead.
This outlet can deliver electricity about 5-6x faster than a normal US wall outlet, which means a recharge for a 40-mile roundtrip takes closer to one or two hours, instead of ten. And Lauterbach, who owns an IT company and has been driving a Tesla for two and a half years now, travels with a charging adapter kit which is, frankly, kind of overkill (and even includes a level 1 grounding adapter of his own design):
But when Lauterbach wanted to charge on Main Street, Markham warned that the locals might not take kindly to that, and might think that he’s “just some jerk from California, doing what jerks from California do.”
After a successful charge, Lauterbach went back the next day to charge again, but found the outlet had been shut off. A local in a Subaru noticed him and said he might want to check out the local paper, so he went across the street to find himself on the front page, being accused of the crime of electricity theft (he bought three copies).
Markham, feeling vindicated for her prophetic warning, walked over to the Southeast Electric Cooperative headquarters just a block away, and said she was “here to pay for the crimes of the UEV.” After everyone had a good laugh, the couple insisted on paying $60 for a few days of electricity use. They even got a receipt for it, which SECO said was their first-ever EV charging receipt:
It turns out that the outlet hadn’t been shut off as a response to Lauterbach’s “crimes,” but rather that it is only active a few weekends a year, typically used to help power events held on Main Street. So the couple said that their $60 could help pay for the electricity used to run the music at that weekend’s dinosaur festival dance.
After the encounter, SECO’s staff signed Lauterbach’s copy of the Ekalaka Eagle, seen in this article’s featured photo above. Staff said “we will need to get with the times!” and is now considering installing an electric car charger in town.
At Montana’s average 12c/kWh electricity prices, $60 is enough for about 1,700 miles of driving, using Tesla’s optimistic estimates. A single, 0-100% charge of a Model Y battery would cost about eight dollars at this rate. Lauterbach said the 3,000-mile trip from LA to Montana and back cost about $300 total in charging fees.
Electrek’s Take
When I saw this story, I loved it… because I’ve done something similar myself, and remember stories like these from the early days of EV ownership.
Early on in my EV journey, back in 2011, my dad and I took our Mini E up to Laguna Seca for Refuel Races, an EV track day. We had ours in a car trailer, but fellow Mini E driver Matt Walton followed behind us and drafted the trailer to help with range on the drive up. Then, at the motel, I wanted to make sure the Mini was topped off before the track day, and we found a spare outlet at the bottom of a light post, and got a little extra juice there.
Another Mini E owner once used an outlet next to a vending machine in front of a grocery store to get an extra couple miles on the way home.
This actually highlights one of the things that I like to point out about EVs. Even in a town with no EV charger and no EVs, Lauterbach was able to find a place to charge.
The fact is, electricity is everywhere, even in the absence of official “charging stations.” You’re always closer to a place that you can charge an electric car than you are to a place where you can fill up a gas car – because even gas stations run on electricity.
With a little preparation, it’s easy to tap into this electricity and find a place to fill up, pretty much no matter where you are in the world. Though Lauterbach’s preparation goes above and beyond – the list of 11 different adapter kits he told us he carries would make this article too long if we posted it here.
Gas car owners might occasionally worry about the cost of this (to the public, to the friends or family you’re staying with, etc.), but that’s because the high price of gasoline (which still isn’t high enough given the cost of pollution) is all they have to compare against.
Since EV charging is so much cheaper than gas, most won’t particularly mind once you show them the cost of charging from a standard wall outlet is maybe 20 cents an hour. Give them a bottle of cheap wine to compensate and everything will be okay. Or, as Lauterbach and Markham did, clean up some dinosaur bones, pay for the entertainment, and offer a few test rides to the locals to smooth things over.
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![It's time to start recommending some Tesla Powerwall alternatives [update]](https://i0.wp.com/electrek.co/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2025/05/Tesla-Powerwall.jpg?resize=1200,628&quality=82&strip=all&ssl=1)
For years, Tesla Powerwall has been the go-to recommendation for “normals” looking for a painless, low-effort experience from their first home solar and battery backup solutions. Its CEO’s recent involvement in controversial politics, however, means that people are now distancing themselves from the once-trailblazing company.
It begs the question: what other home solar battery solutions are there?
UPDATE 26JUL2025: added more options, put everything in alphabetical order.
Electricians and contractors often praise the sleek, energy-dense Tesla Powerwall, for good reasons. But the Powerwall isn’t the only top-shelf home battery on the market, but long wait times, Elon’s antics, and the proliferation of really good integrated alternatives from legacy EV brands might have you shopping for Tesla alternatives already. If that’s you, the next logical step is to re-think the brand’s solar battery offerings as well – here are some of the best options out there.
As I was putting this list together, I realized there were plenty of ways for me to present this information. “Best batteries ..?” Too opinion-based. “Cheapest batteries ..?” Too much research and a quick descent into Temu-grade nonsense. In the end, I went with the same solution I’ve been using on my 0% EV financing lists: alphabetical order, by brand. Enjoy!
Bluetti EP800 + B500
If you’re in a smaller space or renting and can’t (or don’t want to) add a hardwired battery solution to your home, Bluetti’s EP800 + B500 modular system is a sweet “middle ground” option that combines the Bluetti EP800 off-grid inverter and the company’s B500 battery packs in a floor-standing unit that can be used without a solar roof but also plays well with most rooftop PV options.
The basic EP800 + B500 package offers about 9.9 kWh of capacity for under $9,000 as I type this, and the system can scale up to nearly 20 kWh by adding more B500 packs. The system puts out 7.6 kW of power – more than enough, in other words, to keep some lights on and your fridge and foods (and meds) cold.
What’s more, it works great with Bluetti’s AC300 or AC500 gear if you want an option that’s a bit more portable if you move a lot or plan on moving soon.
EG4 14.3 kWh PowerPro
Two of the home solar installers I talked to in preparing this post mentioned the EG4 14.3kWh batteries, and its specs (on paper, at least) compare nicely with the Powerwall 3.
| Battery | Usable capacity (kWh) | Continuous power output (kW) | Roundtrip efficiency | Average price per kWh* | Coupling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Powerwall 3 | 13.5 | 11.5 | 97.5% | $926 | DC or AC |
| EG4 14.3kWh PowerPro | 11.44 | 10.24 | 99% | $786 | DC |
“The EG4 PowerPro solar battery from EG4 Electronics is the strongest alternative to the Tesla Powerwall,” writes Kristina Zagame, from the home solar experts at EnergySage. “(The EG4) has a similar capacity, meaning it’ll last a similar amount of time, and a slightly lower power output, which means it won’t be able to power quite as many devices at the same time. And, based on quotes through EnergySage, EG4 batteries tend to be a bit more affordable compared to Tesla.”
Enphase IQ Battery 10
If you’re looking for a one-brand solution for EV charging and whole-home battery backup but don’t want to be “locked in” to GM or Tesla’s ecosystem, Enphase offers a full line of Made-in-the-USA solutions that could be right for you.
“Energy systems developer Enphase Energy is providing an even more holistic approach to managing home power usage with the introduction of new EV charger technology called the IQ line,” wrote Scooter doll, when the brand first introduced its EV charging solutions back in 2023. “The Enphase IQ is Wi-Fi enabled and integrates seamlessly into a customer’s existing home system that can be controlled with your phone.”
Franklin WH aPower 2
If you love the sleek, minimalistic styling of the Tesla Powerwall 3 but still prefer to spend your money elsewhere, the Franklin WH aPower 2 offers similarly sleek styling and beats the Tesla offering on usable energy storage capacity by 1.5 kWh. That’s nearly a full day of keeping a modern refrigerator running.
The Franklin is also designed to be easily retrofit into an existing solar system, but it loses out to the Powerwall on price per kWh, at $1,176 (vs. $926 for the Tesla unit).
GM Energy Home System
Arguably the most fully integrated EV + battery backup + solar option out there outside of Tesla, the GM Energy Home System promises to do everything a conventional home solar battery does, plus work seamlessly with your GM EV to provide even more flexibility – whether that means using the electric fuel stored in your EV to hold out that much longer in an emergency, or using the energy stored in your home’s solar battery to power an escape in your EV is up to you.
GM Energy and GM’s car dealers list Qmerit as their installation partner, and they’re great, but if you “already have a guy,” you can order the Home System directly from GM Energy’s website for $12,700 (as I type this).
The GM Energy Home System system includes:
- GM Energy PowerBank
- GM Energy PowerShift Charger
- GM Energy Home Hub & Inverter
StorEn vanadium flow BESS
If lithium-ion’s ten-year cycle life or overhyped fire risk makes you nervous, StorEn Technologies is developing a consumer-focused battery solution based on vanadium flow chemistry. Their system promises to last 25 years or more with no capacity loss, so you can charge and drain the battery fully each day and without stressing about wear … but there are a couple of downsides.
First, they’re not yet available to the general public – only to StorEn’s early investors in (what I understand to be) a sort of quasi-Kickstarter deal.
Second, the StorEn batteries are significantly bulkier than a Powerwall. That said, if you’ve got the room and you’re old enough to realize that 25 years isn’t actually a super long time, the StorEn solution might to be a super compelling, nearly maintenance-free setup that might outlast both your solar panels and the roof they’re mounted on.
So, remember how I started this off saying that I wouldn’t turn this into a “best batteries” post? That’s partly driven by the fact that I’m neither an electrician, a chemical engineer, or someone who’s researched thousands of end-user experience surveys to come up with whatever metrics I’d need to confidently and correctly call one battery “the best.”
Our friends and solar industry experts at EnergySage, though? They’ve got all three of those things on staff, and they really, really like the Villara VillaGrid+.
“The Villara VillaGrid+ stands out as the best battery on the market, scoring highest in EnergySage’s rigorous Equipment Rating System, explains EnergySage’s Kristina Zagame. “That said, (the Villara VillaGrid+) is not necessarily the best Tesla Powerwall alternative. It’s a very different (and much pricier) battery.”
What puts the VillaGrid+ on top? According to Zagame, it all comes down to the battery’s lithium-titanium-oxide, or LTO chemistry. “Unlike more traditional lithium-ion batteries, LTO has better recharge capabilities for longer life cycles, and doesn’t contain any carbon, which makes it extra safe. The only downside is you’ll definitely shell out more money upfront for the VillaGrid+.”
That extra money will also buy some additional peace of mind, as Villara backs its LTO batteries with a 20-year warranty compared to Tesla Powerwall and its (and just about everyone else’s) 10-year deal. I couldn’t find a price, but Villara’s other products, like VillaGrid 5.75 kWh battery, come in at nearly double Powerwall’s per kWh cost. Check out the specs, below, then let us know if you think the novel chemistry and additional warranty are worth it in the comments.
| Battery | Usable capacity (kWh) | Continuous power output (kW) | Roundtrip efficiency | Average price per kWh* | Coupling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla Powerwall 3 | 13.5 | 11.5 | 97.5% | $926 | DC or AC |
| Villara VillaGrid+ | 11.5 | 10 | 98.5% | Get quote | DC or AC |
Original content from Electrek.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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Air taxi startup Vertical Aerospace achieved a world’s first this week, completing the first flight between two airports through public airspace for an eVTOL at the Royal International Air Tattoo in Gloucestershire, England.
The Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) is the world’s largest military airshow, held every July and serving as a public showcase for the latest advancements in aviation technology. It’s fitting, then, that RIAT served as setting for the Vertical VX4 prototype’s first piloted public flight.
The eVTOL aircraft flew 17 miles from the company’s Flight Test Centre at Cotswold Airport to RAF Fairford, a Royal Air Force station used by the US Air Force. The Vertical VX4 reached speeds of 115 mph, and an altitude of 1800 ft, and also marked the first landing at a public location for an aircraft of this type.
The Vertical Aerospace entry was the only battery-electric aircraft present at RIAT 2025, and the flight served as a demonstration of the company’s broader strategy to unlock new hybrid-electric applications for defense, logistics, and special/close support missions where the eVTOL’s (relatively) quiet operations could give it a tactical advantage.
“RIAT is a global stage for the most advanced, mission-ready aerospace technology, and we’re proud to showcase how electric aviation will support the future of defense,” says Stuart Simpson, CEO of Vertical Aerospace. “Our hybrid-electric roadmap unlocks new capabilities for military operations, and Vertical’s RIAT presence reinforces our commitment to playing a meaningful role in the future of military and special mission aviation.”
Vertical’s VX4 debuted last year, with a 20% increase in the power-to-weight ratio that enables a top cruising speed of 150 mph and transports four passengers plus a pilot up to 100 miles on a single charge.
The inaugural VX4 flight was witnessed by several thousand UK aircraft enthusiasts, and showed how an eVTOL aircraft could integrate with real-world airport operations, building momentum toward more regular, certified deployment.
Electrek’s Take
Archer, BETA, EHang, Joby, XPeng – the list of eVTOL manufacturers seems to be as long as the list of new electric car brands that didn’t exist back when I first started working with EVs back in ::gulp:: the 1990s. The future of regional point-to-point air travel certainly seems to be vertical, and electric.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Vertical Aerospace.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
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Say what you will about Elon Musk, but Tesla has changed the way that millions of people buy cars and, by extension, car insurance. Now, Honda is taking a page from Tesla’s successful playbook and launching its own in-house insurance business. Enter: Honda Insurance Solutions.
Honda Insurance Solutions is being launched as a fully licensed insurance agency serving the insurance needs of Acura and Honda customers, but it’s not stopping at competitive pricing and coverage options for Honda cars and motorcycles. Honda Insurance Solutions promises to go several steps beyond Tesla’s offering with coverage for trailers, RVs, homes, and even pets.
“Honda Insurance Solutions offers customers access to coverage through a brand they know and trust,” says Petar Vucurevic, President, American Honda Insurance Solutions, LLC and Senior Vice President, American Honda Finance Corporation. “Insurance is a key touchpoint in the vehicle ownership journey, and we aim to deliver a superior experience tailored to the unique needs of each customer, while promoting safer driving and increased peace of mind on the road.”
The company says the launch of its new insurance business is just part of Honda’s broader digital vehicle sales platform strategy, with future plans to integrate insurance offerings into new products.
Electrek’s Take
It’s important to note some of the key differences between Honda’s insurance offering and Tesla’s. Honda isn’t offering discounts, they’re not bundling insurance premiums into the vehicle financing, and they’re not building their insurance offerings into their dealerships’ checkout/F&I offices. Not yet, anyway.
What Honda is doing right now is deepening relationships with its existing customers and finding ways to make money on products it hasn’t sold them – whether that’s the Harley parked in the garage next to their Prologue or the garage itself.
It’s a smart play. And, once Honda figures out a way to cut franchise dealers out entirely and go to a direct sales model, it’ll look even smarter.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Honda.
If you’re considering going solar, it’s always a good idea to get quotes from a few installers. To make sure you find a trusted, reliable solar installer near you that offers competitive pricing, check out EnergySage, a free service that makes it easy for you to go solar. It has hundreds of pre-vetted solar installers competing for your business, ensuring you get high-quality solutions and save 20-30% compared to going it alone. Plus, it’s free to use, and you won’t get sales calls until you select an installer and share your phone number with them.
Your personalized solar quotes are easy to compare online and you’ll get access to unbiased Energy Advisors to help you every step of the way. Get started here.
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