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Pairing a used Tesla Model 3 or Model Y HV pack with SMA's Sunny Tripower Smart Energy hybrid three-phase inverter for residential storage in EU installations.
Direct answer. A Tesla Model 3 / Y HV pack (350–410 V nominal) is compatible with the SMA Sunny Tripower Smart Energy series (STP 5.0-SE through STP 10.0-SE), which accepts battery voltages of 150–500 V DC. Communication is via SMA's proprietary battery CAN protocol on the inverter's dedicated Battery-CAN port; the BMS-EV controller translates Tesla BMS frames into the SMA battery gateway format. Speedwire (Ethernet) between the inverter and Sunny Portal is unaffected and continues to work normally.
| Component | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tesla Model 3 SR / LR / Performance pack | Yes | Both NCA and LFP chemistries |
| Tesla Model Y LR / Performance pack | Yes | Same BMS as Model 3 |
| SMA Sunny Tripower Smart Energy 5.0-SE | Yes | Battery DC 150–500 V, native SMA CAN |
| SMA Sunny Tripower Smart Energy 6.0/8.0/10.0-SE | Yes | Same architecture as 5.0-SE |
| SMA Sunny Boy Storage 3.7/5.0/6.0 | No | Requires LG or BYD battery firmware; no Tesla path |
| SMA Sunny Island (off-grid) | No | AC-coupled only, no HV battery interface |
| Model | AC power | Phase | DC battery range | MPPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| STP 5.0-SE | 5.0 kW | 3-phase | 150–500 V | 2 |
| STP 6.0-SE | 6.0 kW | 3-phase | 150–500 V | 2 |
| STP 8.0-SE | 8.0 kW | 3-phase | 150–500 V | 2 |
| STP 10.0-SE | 10.0 kW | 3-phase | 150–500 V | 2 |
The Tesla Model 3 / Y pack operates between approximately 300 V (0 % SoC) and 415 V (100 % SoC, NCA). Nominal operating window is 350–410 V.
SMA Sunny Tripower Smart Energy accepts 150–500 V DC on the battery port, with an efficiency-optimised sweet spot of 300–450 V. The Tesla pack sits inside that sweet spot for its entire useful SoC range, so the inverter operates at maximum conversion efficiency at all times. No booster or DC-DC pre-stage is required.
SMA uses a proprietary battery CAN protocol (sometimes referred to as "SMA-CAN") on a dedicated RJ45 port labelled "BAT-CAN". Communication is at 500 kbit/s, standard 11-bit identifiers. The BMS-EV controller emulates a compliant SMA battery gateway:
| Data | Source (Tesla BMS) | Target (SMA battery frame) |
|---|---|---|
| Battery voltage | 0x132 byte 0–1 | 0x351 byte 0–1 |
| Battery current | 0x132 byte 2–3 | 0x351 byte 2–3 |
| SoC (0.1 % resolution) | 0x33A byte 5 (scaled) | 0x355 byte 0–1 |
| SoH | Derived from Tesla energy counters | 0x355 byte 2–3 |
| Max charge voltage | Fixed 410 V (NCA) / 398 V (LFP) | 0x351 byte 4–5 |
| Max discharge current | Computed from BMS + temperature | 0x351 byte 6–7 |
| Alarm flags | 0x321 bit-mapped | 0x35A byte 0–3 |
| Manufacturer ID string | Injected by BMS-EV | 0x35E "BMSEV" |
Engineering values below are examples. Final conductor cross-section and protective-device sizing must be calculated for the actual pack, maximum current, cable length, installation method, ambient temperature and applicable local standards (IEC 60364-7-712, VDE-AR-N 4105, NEC 690).
No. SMA's approved battery list includes BYD HVS/HVM, LG Chem RESU, Pylontech Force H2 and a small number of certified partners. The Tesla pack is used via the BMS-EV controller emulating a compliant SMA battery gateway. This works reliably in field installations but is not covered by SMA warranty.
No. Standard STP (Sunny Tripower) is a PV-only string inverter without a battery port. Only the STP-SE ("Smart Energy") variant has DC coupling for storage.
Yes. The BMS-EV controller reports SoC with 0.1 % resolution and integrates charge/discharge energy counters that the STP-SE forwards to Sunny Portal. Daily energy graphs work identically to a certified battery.
None from the STP-SE alone — the "Smart Energy" line is grid-tied only. For blackout coverage add SMA's Automatic Backup Unit (ABU) which switches loads to the inverter's EPS output; capacity is limited to the STP's rated AC power.
SMA's BAT-CAN port is internally terminated with 120 Ω. The BMS-EV controller has a switchable termination (jumper on the board) — enable it if the controller is at the far end of the CAN bus, otherwise leave it off.
The STP-SE has a single battery DC input and expects one logical battery. Two Tesla packs would need to be paralleled at the DC bus with SoC-matching precautions and reported as a single virtual battery — this is possible with a customised BMS-EV controller firmware but is not the standard configuration.
Yes. The BMS-EV controller uses a chemistry-specific charge voltage ceiling — 410 V for NCA, 398 V for LFP — and different current-taper curves near full charge. Specify chemistry at order time; a field re-flash is possible via USB.