World’s First Tesla-Powered Suburb Is Being Built In Melbourne

While the economics of Tesla’s Powerwall are still being debated, this hasn’t stopped Glenvill Development’s “YarraBend” from going ahead. Situated in Alphington, Victoria, 6.5km from the Melbourne CBD, YarraBend promises to be the world’s first full-equipped “Tesla” suburb.

Well, sub-suburb. As the Heidelberg Leader reports, the YarraBend development will consist of 2500 homes, constructed at the site of Alphington’s now-defunct paper mill, last owned by Amcor Limited.

Glenvill wants YarraBend to stand as the be-all, end-all in sustainable communities, with a big part of that coming from Tesla Powerwalls provided as a “standard inclusion”, with car chargers also available:

“YarraBend will achieve the highest possible ESD rating under the UDIA (Urban Development Institute of Australia) Envirodevelopment scheme, a first for an infill development site in Melbourne,” [said sales and marketing manager Nick Marinakis]. “A key feature of the current release is a standard inclusion of Tesla Powerwall, utilising solar power to reduce energy use and electrical bills.”

The article mentions 60 homes are already for sale, with Glenvill expecting actual occupancy from late 2017 onwards.

And, for the big question: How much will one of this future-forward abodes set you back? The Leader quotes figures between “$1.48 million to $2.1 million”. I guess you just need to think of all the money you’ll save on power.

YarraBend [Official site, via OneStepOffTheGrid]