Redflow NEWS & EVENTS, page-1776

Does that $9.5k for the ZBM3 include the battery management system (BMS)? (An installer I know and trust tells me that the Redflow BMS is an additional $700. He actually gave me a $300 discount on my third lithium module in exchange for the Redflow BMS that I no longer need. It's a Raspberry Pi in a custom case - and Redflow charges him $700 for it...)

$9k for the LiFePO₄ option (US5000), versus $10.2k for the Redflow (both prices including the BMS, which is integrated into the lithium modules). 95%+ round trip efficiency versus ~75%. Decent fire resistance versus excellent fire resistance. (And that's before I go looking for actual pricing on the US5000 - I can get it for $2600 right now, easily, from a retailer in Port Melbourne, which brings the cost down to $7800. And I know I can get it for less than that from the aforementioned installer.)

The economics of the Redflow option simply don't stack up. Not unless there is a specific need for the specific advantages it has over lithium (mostly the excellent fire resistance and the fact that they aren't reliant upon lithium supplies; the depth of discharge and other such matters can be compensated for easily enough.) They need to get the price down, significantly, to be competitive in the market, barring something dramatic like a lithium embargo out of China. (Not out of the question in the medium term, I'll grant.)

Please understand that I'm not against Redflow per se. I would dearly love to see them succeed in the market. I'm simply saying that from a strictly economical point of view, I'm unable to see how they can do that with their current products (again: if people have more up to date pricing information on their current products, I would be more than happy to hear it. This is why I'm setting out the assumptions in my statements; I'm genuinely trying to not set up a false or misleading scenario.)