Base Power launches 39.2 kWh U.S-made Base Core home battery, secures $1 billion in new funding

Base Power, a home battery and energy company, has launched a new battery called Base Core, built at its factory in Austin, Texas. It comes in two sizes, 39.2 kWh or 78.4 kWh (a double unit), and each cabinet takes up about 15 cubic feet. The company says a single unit can provide a home with roughly 36 hours of backup power during an outage, and includes a generator port so homeowners can recharge it if an outage runs long. The battery is rated to handle temperatures from -22°F to 122°F and can be installed in under an hour.

Base Power also announced it raised $1 billion in new funding, bringing its valuation to $13 billion, which it plans to use to expand production in Austin and grow beyond its current markets of Texas and Illinois. Right now, the battery is only available to residential customers in those two states, through service agreements where Base Power becomes your electricity provider. In Illinois, for example, ComEd customers can get one installed for $95 upfront, with an ongoing rate of 7.8 cents per kWh, which the company says is about 27% cheaper than the utility's standard rate, plus distribution charges.

In some areas, Base Power also runs pilot programs with utilities like CoServ, El Paso Electric and Austin Energy, where homeowners pay a small monthly fee to host a battery, or in some cases get paid for it. Availability and pricing details depend on where you live, so it's worth checking what options exist in your area.