Daimler commits to release its own line of home batteries to take on Tesla
Daimler, Mercedes-Benz and smart parent company, has announced that it will release its own line of batteries for homes and small businesses within this year. The batteries will be available exclusively in Germany initially, but Daimler wants to gradually expand the market to other European countries and, possibly, the United States in the medium-term future. Daimler executives explained quickly that the decision to enter the home battery market isn’t a direct response to Tesla’s recent announcement. The company outsources production of the lithium-ion battery packs found its in hybrids and electric vehicles to a wholly-owned subsidiary called Accumotive, which has also been building high-capacity battery packs for large commercial and industrial applications since 2012. Chemically speaking, Daimler’s home battery is closely related to the lithium-ion battery packs found in the company’s cars. The battery works just like Tesla’s: Ideally mounted on a wall, it can be charged during o