In my opinion, the Zcell is an experimental, prototype product (still undergoing testing) masquerading as a commercial-ready product. It is pretending to be a cheaper version of the fully-tested and highly commercial Powerwall. It's not. In fact it is more expensive and far less reliable than the powerwall (see my earlier post). I contend that managment have been forced to bring the ZCell to market before fixing basic design problems because (1) these design problems are hard and expensive to fix, and (2) they know that shareholders wont support further delays (they've already had 5 years of these). Bringing the ZCell to market with major design flaws is a huge gamble on behalf of managment. If the Zcell doesn't sell in significant numbers over the next two quarters, this company is toast.
In any event, you don't need to accept my opinion re problems with the Zcell. If you are thinking of ordering a Zcell, I strongly suggest you ring the company and ask the following questions:
(1) Can you gurantee that the Zcell will work without automaticallly shutting down when the ambient temperature falls below 15C for more than a few hours?
(2) If I live in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, or Hobart, how many days per year could I expect uninterupted functioning of the ZCell if it is installed outside?
(3) Melbourne, Hobart, Sydney, and Adelaide regularly endure winters where it is below 12C for weeks at a time. Will the ZCell work, without an expensive additional insulating enclosure, under these conditions?
(4) Are Zcell customers expected to pay for an additional, custom made insulating enclosure, with a heat source, so that the Zcell can operate all year round? If so, why wasn't this disclosed to shareholders and potential customers up front? With the cost of an additional heating enclosure, is the true installation cost of a ZCell closer to $23k?
(5) Why wasn't the ZCell designed with a heater?
(6) If my ZCell was to puncture (say, if I accidentally drive my car into it), what will happen to my child if he/she is in the path of electrolyte splash and accidentally swallows a small amount of the electrolyte? Could he/she die from swallowing as little as 5ml of electrolyte?
(7) Despite the rudimentary charcoal gas capture device installed in the Zcell, can you guarantee that the Zcell will not occasionally release explosive hydrogen gas?
(8) Can you gurantee the the ZCell will not occasionally release toxic bromine gas?
(9) If the bromine gas that occasionally leaks from the ZCell combines with a source of methane (say a nearby landfill or compost in my garden) in the presence of sunlight to form bromomethane (a bromine halocarbon), will it become an Ozone Depleting Substance?
(10) If the Powerwall currently sells for $10k fully installed (a price that is falling), and if the Zcell sells for $19,500 (without an additional heated enclosure), which product is cheaper on a warranted/kwh basis?
If you can't get satisfactory answers to all of these questions from the company, then I contend that this is strong evidence that the Zcell is not a competitive, market-ready product, and is therefore unlikely to sell in material numbers.
RFX shareholders better hope that the so-called "early adopters" who supposedly don't care about price and who are expected to buy the Zcell in the thousands don't ask these questions before buying.
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