Prices will go up within a month. (EG4 +industry insights)

[rhino]

Fine, but that's the word 'made' and we're in the semantics weeds now. I'm not interested in discussing semantics on diysolarforum.

"Made"has legal meaning and companies can be fined for using the improper term so semantics is critical let alone people misled by false advertising.

 

[SparkyJJO]

If I buy all my parts from companies in the USA, but somewhere in THEIR supply chain it is not USA sourced, can I get in trouble for a tier 2 or tier 3 supplier?

 

[rhino]

To show how bad it is, TSMC which is about ready to go into full production with their FAB plant in Phoenix AZ had to bring in half of their ~2100 employees from Taiwan because of the lack of a skilled workforce in the USA in this area. They hope to increase the American employee percentage over time as Americans gain more experience. So you have to even watch out for when companies say they are "bringing jobs to America" who actually gets those jobs.

 

[rhino]

If I buy all my parts from companies in the USA, but somewhere in THEIR supply chain it is not USA sourced, can I get in trouble for a tier 2 or tier 3 supplier?

As long as nobody along the line or anyone providing the parts is claiming made in USA then nobody gets in trouble. This is precisely why it is taking so long for QCELLS to have "Made in USA" because they are working towards having the entire supply chain Made in USA.

 

[timselectric]

Made in the USA is not possible for an AIO (or any electronics) , even on a small scale. No way to compete in the global market. (Without government subsidies)
And trying just ends up in bankruptcy. Because subsidies can't be counted on forever. What we are good at is custom one off equipment. As a citizen of the US, this does make me sad. But it is what it is. We have done it to ourselves. By being fat, lazy, and greedy. We have stooped to calling flipping burgers at McDonald's a career. And demanded $15/hr to do it.

 

[seneysolar]

Yes this is what confuses me. After sustaining incredible growth and expansion the back of cheap China contract manufacturing, to pivot to a fully US based manufacturing workflow doesn't seem possible while keeping price points where they are.

The title of the post does say "prices going up".

I think the EG4 stuff has too many bugs to work out before being priced at a premium. Right now i think people overlook the little things due to price point. They will be riding a fine line for a while. Ill give EG4 the benefit of the doubt that they are trying to improve.

I really do want to see EG4 or any other manufacturer for that matter bring this stuff stateside and get a better handle on quality.

Hopefully its not just smoke and mirrors for dodging tarriffs, with lawyers determining what can be claimed made in usa. If they are just getting boxes of parts from China and assemble the exact same product here, but charging a premium for "made in usa" sticker then why bother.

 

[Brucey]

I think the prices going up refers to the recent 10% tarrif increase. Hopefully we'll have a launch video to see what's being done in-house.

 

[robby]

Big changes are coming to our industry, and EG4 is ready!

China Tariffs & Pricing Transparency
With 10% tariffs now in effect, some may play pricing games—but not us. We believe in transparency. As costs shift, we’ll adapt responsibly, ensuring fair and sustainable pricing rather than artificial inflation.

Building in America, Investing in the Future
For the past year, our 300,000+ sq. ft. factory in Dallas, TX has been ramping up to transition key products to "Made in the USA." As we roll out these American-made inverters and batteries, customers will benefit from:
10% domestic content tax credits for businesses
Stable, competitive pricing on U.S.-built energy solutions

Closing Unfair Loopholes
Many Chinese companies avoided tariffs by exploiting the under-$800 shipment exemption—while EG4 has always paid its fair share (~20%). As of Monday, that loophole is gone. Now, duties for those companies stand at:
Batteries: 21%
Cells: 35%
Inverters: 35%
(They may attempt to illegally reduce the value of the goods on the shipping declaration, but at least now they will be paying something and ultimately will get caught and banned/fined if they try that too many times)

This levels the playing field for companies like EG4, which have created over 400 American jobs while ensuring long-term U.S. operations and warranty support.

The Future is Bright
The solar and storage industry is stronger than ever! Costs will remain affordable, but more importantly, a greater share of energy solutions will be proudly built right here in the USA.

Exciting times ahead! Let’s power the future—Made in America.

I guess you are replying to my Post from yesterday James.
You left out the part that the Chinese are cutting out the Middle men like you who slap on a label and then add an additional 50-100% profit onto their products.
They are now opening more and more of their own distribution companies in the USA and are basically squeezing you out. The Tariffs are not going to effect the retail price to consumers because they are willing to sell for a much smaller profit margin than you are. They can absorb the Tariff as an expense and still get a battery out for $750 while you and many others are selling them for $1200.
You fed these guys and made millions off them and now that companies like SS helped them establish a brand name presence in the Market they are cutting you out.
Nothing new about this, they have been doing it in other industries for the last 10 years.

 

[Brucey]

I guess you are replying to my Post from yesterday James.
You left out the part that the Chinese are cutting out the Middle men like you who slap on a label and then add an additional 50-100% profit onto their products.
They are now opening more and more of their own distribution companies in the USA and are basically squeezing you out. The Tariffs are not going to effect the retail price to consumers because they are willing to sell for a much smaller profit margin than you are. They can absorb the Tariff as an expense and still get a battery out for $750 while you and many others are selling them for $1200.
You fed these guys and made millions off them and now that companies like SS helped them establish a brand name presence in the Market they are cutting you out. Nothing new about this, they have been doing it in other industries for the last 10 years.

Its exactly the same with Deye and solark. Sol-ark slaps a massive markup on imported deyes, has exclusive distribution rights for north America to stop people getting around it, claims made in America bullcrap and profit!

 

[455dan]

I guess you are replying to my Post from yesterday James.
You left out the part that the Chinese are cutting out the Middle men like you who slap on a label and then add an additional 50-100% profit onto their products.
They are now opening more and more of their own distribution companies in the USA and are basically squeezing you out. The Tariffs are not going to effect the retail price to consumers because they are willing to sell for a much smaller profit margin than you are. They can absorb the Tariff as an expense and still get a battery out for $750 while you and many others are selling them for $1200.
You fed these guys and made millions off them and now that companies like SS helped them establish a brand name presence in the Market they are cutting you out. Nothing new about this, they have been doing it in other industries for the last 10 years.

Wouldn't that statement apply to SolArk as well, even more so, since they seem to apply a Much higher mark up?

 

[Brucey]

Wouldn't that statement apply to SolArk as well, even more so, since they seem to apply a higher mark up?

 

[robby]

Wouldn't that statement apply to SolArk as well, even more so, since they seem to apply a higher mark up?

If you only knew how high those 18Kpv markups really are
Anyway this is not about Inverters, it is about Batteries.
This is about https://www.lifepo4ag.com/ The company that owns the Patents to LFP batteries.
China had an exclusive 10 year deal with them and the deal was up in 2024.
Now LFP batteries can be made cheaply in any country. China is doing the same thing with Batteries like what they did to Solyndra and other US Solar Panel makers back in 2011.

They are starting to flood the US Market with Batteries in order to stop US companies from getting any serious traction in manufacturing LFP batteries.
Companies like EG4 are now just an obstacle in their way. They add on too much markup and indirectly create an opening for US manufacturing and sales by keeping the prices high.
Their solution is to move their distribution centers directly to the USA and cut out the middle man. When they subtract James big profit margins they can absorb the Tariffs and still sell a 5KWh pack at sub $800 prices with free shipping.
The word I got is that even more LFP Factories are now online producing cells in China.
They are going to be flooding the US market, so expect prices to drop even further in the coming months.

 

[Dave911]

A lot of this China tariff stuff is able to be worked around. They setup a shop in Vietnam or Mexico and put a cover on a box and call it made in Mexico. No tariff. This has been going on for decades.
I'm more concerned about Elon mucking around in the government, rather than dealing with tariffs that have no real bite.

 

[HighTechLab]

The tariffs will make imports from other countries more expensive, but the second part of what they want to do is slash income taxes to compliment the implementation of the tariffs. Essentially, your life only becomes more expensive if you depend on products from other countries and put America second. If we all can take more money home from work to offsets higher cost of goods produced domestically, who wins? I think the answer is, Americans.

EDIT: and if EG4 keeps the same prices and the income tax cuts do happen, that means you don't need to work quite as hard to buy one. Double win.

 

[Noname142]

The tariffs will make imports from other countries more expensive, but the second part of what they want to do is slash income taxes to compliment the implementation of the tariffs. Essentially, your life only becomes more expensive if you depend on products from other countries and put America second. If we all can take more money home from work to offsets higher cost of goods produced domestically, who wins? I think the answer is, Americans.

EDIT: and if EG4 keeps the same prices and the income tax cuts do happen, that means you don't need to work quite as hard to buy one. Double win.

Whoo! someone sees the bigger picture!

 

[JWLV]

To show how bad it is, TSMC which is about ready to go into full production with their FAB plant in Phoenix AZ had to bring in half of their ~2100 employees from Taiwan because of the lack of a skilled workforce in the USA in this area. They hope to increase the American employee percentage over time as Americans gain more experience. So you have to even watch out for when companies say they are "bringing jobs to America" who actually gets those jobs.

Taiwan is the world's leading semiconductor manufacturer. Think Nvidia. Think Foxconn. Fact is, they do have the technical expertise and the highly skilled personnel in this field. Many high tech companies are based in Taiwan. I suppose that's one of the reasons China wants to claim it as their own, even though China has never control or authority over Taiwan. For those who don't know the history of Taiwan and China, between 1927 - 1949 there was a civil war in China between the communist party and the kuomintang party. The communist won. The kuomingtan party fled to Taiwan with about a million of their citizens. Taiwan was never under the control of China before the civil war or after the civil war. Currently, Taiwan is a democracy. It is not under communist control and not under China's rule.

 

[wpns]

You can't say "Made in USA" unless nearly all the components are made and sourced from within the USA!

Is there a metric for "nearly all"? 51%? 75%? 90%, how many nines? And is there a certification process, or does the manufacturer just claim it (and maybe prove it on his first production run and then substitute parts for future runs)?

 

[agtcovert]

The tariffs will make imports from other countries more expensive, but the second part of what they want to do is slash income taxes to compliment the implementation of the tariffs. Essentially, your life only becomes more expensive if you depend on products from other countries and put America second. If we all can take more money home from work to offsets higher cost of goods produced domestically, who wins? I think the answer is, Americans.

EDIT: and if EG4 keeps the same prices and the income tax cuts do happen, that means you don't need to work quite as hard to buy one. Double win.

That's predicated on there being manufacturing base, American made products to purchase, and a lot of other interim steps that realistically will take years.

People aren't putting America second by choice. Let's be realistic -- especially in this space -- there are limited choices on the menu for buying solar equipment that's made predominantly in the US. I quoted more battery cells a couple days ago. I can have a 314Ah 48V battery at my door (yeah, I have to build it) with a case + BMS for $1611. Is building a battery for everyone? No. Are there people who are forced to get listed batteries because of ridiculous regulations? Yes. (Are they being screwed on price? Yes).

I hope things trend this way, but I doubt it.

 

[wpns]

I think the EG4 stuff has too many bugs to work out before being priced at a premium.

Chicken, meet egg. They'll need significant sales and market share to be able to afford to (for instance) fix their software, which may well involve hardware redesign.

 

[JWLV]

Whoo! someone sees the bigger picture!

The tariffs will make imports from other countries more expensive, but the second part of what they want to do is slash income taxes to compliment the implementation of the tariffs. Essentially, your life only becomes more expensive if you depend on products from other countries and put America second. If we all can take more money home from work to offsets higher cost of goods produced domestically, who wins? I think the answer is, Americans.

EDIT: and if EG4 keeps the same prices and the income tax cuts do happen, that means you don't need to work quite as hard to buy one. Double win.

Well, did you read the title of this thread?

Here, I'll put it in bold for you:

Prices will go up within a month. (EG4 +industry insights)​

This isn't just some random person saying it. This is from the CEO of the company, who knows his costs will go up as he begins to move away from imported goods and manufacture or assemble their products in the USA.

 

[Brucey]

Well, did you read the title of this thread?

Here, I'll put it in bold for you:

Prices will go up within a month. (EG4 +industry insights)​

This isn't just some random person saying it. This is from the CEO of the company, who knows his costs will go up as he begins to move away from imported goods and manufacture or assemble their products in the USA.

Pretty sure he's talking about increases on existing units.

China Tariffs & Pricing Transparency
With 10% tariffs now in effect, some may play pricing games—but not us. We believe in transparency. As costs shift, we’ll adapt responsibly, ensuring fair and sustainable pricing rather than artificial inflation.

 

[billvon]

So let me get this straight.. you will assemble Chinese made parts in the USA and call that "American made"; you're not manufacturing the components in the US, you're just assembling them?

That's what every American company does. Your Ford gas car is full of foreign components - from China, Japan and South Korea. The platinum for its catalytic converter comes from South Africa. Your Budweiser is made with Canadian barley. Etc etc.

"American made" means it's assembled in the US. It does not mean every single part came from the US, nor is that even a good goal.

 

[robby]

The tariffs will make imports from other countries more expensive, but the second part of what they want to do is slash income taxes to compliment the implementation of the tariffs. Essentially, your life only becomes more expensive if you depend on products from other countries and put America second. If we all can take more money home from work to offsets higher cost of goods produced domestically, who wins? I think the answer is, Americans.

EDIT: and if EG4 keeps the same prices and the income tax cuts do happen, that means you don't need to work quite as hard to buy one. Double win.

I can answer this as someone who has been in the industry and also as someone who hates Cheap Products and typically spends money on USA products or with companies that make first class products.

A lot of companies have taken your bet before and very few have Won.
Sadly most people will take the higher Income and still buy the lower priced Chinese goods.
All of that is assuming that in 2-3 years they actually get some US Battery Manufacturing going at a semi competitive price.
As it stands Eco-Worthy and others have already Won the DIY battle. If they all start to get their batteries UL Listed then it's pretty much Game over for EG4 and any other companies if they are still selling a battery for $1200.

 

[Quattrohead]

A lot of companies have taken your bet before and very few have Won.
Sadly most people will take the higher Income and still buy the lower priced Chinese goods.
All of that is assuming that in 2-3 years they actually get some US Battery Manufacturing going at a semi competitive price.
As it stands Eco-Worthy and others have already Won the DIY battle. If they get their batteries UL Listed then it's pretty much Game over for EG4 and any other companies if they are still selling a battery for $1200.

Quoted for prosperity. It will be interesting to see whether this plays out to James's satisfaction or Robbie's satisfaction in the next year. Place your bets now.
In the real world, this level of stalking would get you arrested.

 

[chill633]

The tariffs will make imports from other countries more expensive, but the second part of what they want to do is slash income taxes to compliment the implementation of the tariffs. Essentially, your life only becomes more expensive if you depend on products from other countries and put America second. If we all can take more money home from work to offsets higher cost of goods produced domestically, who wins? I think the answer is, Americans.

EDIT: and if EG4 keeps the same prices and the income tax cuts do happen, that means you don't need to work quite as hard to buy one. Double win.

This is completely detached from reality.

If everyone stops buying from overseas, exactly what do you think happens to that sweet tariff income? (Hint: It goes away.) And if that sweet tariff income disappears, how do you think the country will afford to not collect other taxes that don't depend on foreign consumption?

Bueller? Bueller? Anyone? What is the Hawley-Smooth Tariff Act. We've seen this movie before and it did not end well.