Compare like with like. Aligned scores, specifications and local evidence within one scoring class or tier.
Market context
Australia purchasing view
VoltX | vBox-14 with four vBox-3.5-M modules; scored reference 12.4 kWh usable
61/ 100
Strong evidence coverage · 100%
Evidence checked 2026-09-01
Available in Australia · checked 2026-10-06
Buyer evidence: Ready (100% direct coverage).
AlphaESS | SMILE-G3-S5 with one SMILE-G3-BAT-10.1P; 9.6 kWh usable reference, 1-6 modules
68/ 100
Strong evidence coverage · 100%
Evidence checked 2026-09-22
Available in Australia · checked 2026-08-29
Buyer evidence: Ready (100% direct coverage).
| Measure | vBox 14 | Smile G3 S5 / BAT-10.1P |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity & Usability | ||
| Power & Efficiency | ||
| Longevity (verified) | ||
| Safety & Chemistry | ||
| Guarantee & Backbone | ||
| Energy Ecosystem |
| Measure | vBox 14 | Smile G3 S5 / BAT-10.1P |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | All-in-one energy system | All-in-one energy system |
| Published usable capacity range | 12.4 kWh | 9.6–57.6 kWh |
| Chemistry | LFP | LFP |
| Power | 5.4 kW | 5 kW |
| Round-trip | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Cycle life | Not recorded | Not recorded |
| Scored benchmark | Not stated | 9.6 kWh |
| Evidence | vBox 14 | Smile G3 S5 / BAT-10.1P |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome | Available in Australia | Available in Australia |
| Checked | 2026-10-06 | 2026-08-29 |
| Certifications | The exact Australian datasheet publishes IEC 62619, IEC 63056, IEC/EN 62477-1, IEC/EN 62040-1 and UN 38.3., The 24 September 2026 CER approved-battery export lists exact model vBox-14 under Wanbang Digital Energy Co Ltd (brand Star Charge, series vBox) at 13.8 kWh nominal and 12.4 kWh usable capacity, approved 30 May 2025 with a listed expiry of 31 December 2027. This battery listing does not establish inverter or site approval. | The exact BAT-10.1P datasheet lists IEC 62619, IEC 63056, IEC 62040 and UN 38.3; the SMILE-G3-S5 AU system datasheet lists AS 4777.2 and IEC 62109. |
| Warranty scope | Australia; 10 years or 3 MWh per kWh usable, whichever occurs first, with 70% retained usable energy. On-site labour and travel are excluded. | Australia; the 11 October 2024 warranty names SMILE-G3-S5 and BAT-10.1P with a ten-year term, 70% retained capacity and a 3.12 MWh/kWh throughput condition for eligible installations from 1 November 2024. |
| Warranty remedy | Critical replacement parts and remote support. The warranty states that the technical response is initiated within two business days and that critical parts can be available within seven business days. It also states that part arrival time is subject to customs conditions. | Repair or replacement at AlphaESS's option. |
| Labour and reinstallation | On-site labour and travel are excluded. Removal, reinstallation and site restoration are excluded. | Clause 2 excludes travelling and accommodation costs of persons for on-site support and does not name labour as covered or excluded. The warranty requires a qualified installer to be available for exchange and re-commissioning (clause 3) and obliges the original installer to assist with replacement (clause 10); reimbursement of necessary and reasonably incurred costs of a valid claim may be claimed with documentary evidence (clauses 2 and 10). Removal and reinstallation are not promised. |
| Freight | Star Charge bears the shipping cost of covered replacement critical parts, delivered to the appointed customer address. The defective parts are returned at the customer's own cost, with a non-conformance report, to an appointed location within 15 business days of receiving the replacement parts. | Replacement-parts freight is covered for an accepted claim. |
| Transfer and registration | The governing warranty states that it is non-transferable. The warranty starts 90 days after shipment, applies only to the original customer in the country or region of purchase, and critical-part claims are accepted after warranty activation. Remote monitoring access to operating data must be agreed before a claim. Listed exclusions include installation within 500 metres of the coastline and equipment not bought from Star Charge or its authorised sales channel. The warranty also states that its terms do not exclude Australian Consumer Law guarantees. | The warranty is non-transferable except where the products remain installed in a building, in which case it transfers to a later purchaser of that building. Serial registration before a claim, and installation by an SAA-accredited installer with a valid Alpha Installer ID, are required. |
| Grid/network approval evidence | The vBox datasheet names Vesta 5, 6 and 8 kW inverters as compatible; final system grid approval depends on the paired inverter configuration. The Star Charge approved inverter list (version 1.0, 23 July 2024) states that the battery modules are compatible only with Star Charge inverters, and the warranty does not cover failures caused by compatibility issues with another PCS brand unless compatibility was confirmed with Star Charge in advance. | The exact AU system is a 5 kW, 230 V single-phase hybrid under AS 4777.2. Current project approval and installer eligibility remain installation-specific. |
| Local product pathway | No separate local pathway recorded | No separate local pathway recorded |
| Buyer evidence | Ready (100% direct coverage): Local availability, buyer evidence, and the publication threshold are confirmed. | Ready (100% direct coverage): Local availability, buyer evidence, and the publication threshold are confirmed. |
| Safety notice | No model-specific notice recorded | No model-specific notice recorded |
| Review note | VoltX Commercial publishes the exact vBox datasheet, importer declaration and StarCharge warranty. Its currently linked July 2024 TUV SUD component record names EVE Energy IFR40135 cells in vBox-3.5-M and explicitly covers vBox-14. This is the disclosed tested BOM; it does not independently confirm the cell supplier in every later production batch or installed unit. The NeoVolt storefront family remains separate. | AlphaESS's current 2026 Australian brochure lists SMILE-G3-S5/B5 with both BAT-10.1P and BAT-9.3S. The battery options coexist; neither is presented as the formal successor to the other. |
| Register: parts term | Not in the structured register | Not in the structured register |
| Register: labour and service | Not in the structured register | Not in the structured register |
| Register: transport and freight | Not in the structured register | Not in the structured register |
| Register: registration | Not in the structured register | Not in the structured register |
| Register: transferability | Not in the structured register | Not in the structured register |
| Register: explicit unknowns | Not in the structured register | Not in the structured register |
| Latest reviewed Approval Watch event | No exact-identity event in reviewed history | No exact-identity event in reviewed history |
| Sources | Source 1Source 2Source 3Source 4Source 5Source 6Source 7Source 8 | Source 1Source 2Source 3Source 4Source 5Source 6 |
These checks sit beside the benchmark score. They are site, tariff and contract questions that no product score can settle.
Ask for every model number to appear on the quote and order. The Clean Energy Council product lists are live: STC creation requires listed products at installation, and network requirements may also depend on current approval.
Have the retailer state the supply phase, inverter connection limit, export limit and any export-control cost. The local network connection agreement, not a generic datasheet, determines those settings. See the Australian Government's connection guidance.
Ask which bills or interval data, tariff, feed-in rate, export limit and future loads support the savings and payback claim. Self-consumed electricity and tariff timing usually matter more than a headline feed-in rate. See the system sizing and battery savings guidance.
Define the usable energy, output power, backed-up circuits and outage behaviour. Confirm whether VPP participation, an internet connection, or an additional controller changes the configuration, reserve level, warranty or support path.
Keep the retailer, installer, manufacturer warranty and escalation path in the contract. Australian Consumer Law guarantees apply separately from any manufacturer warranty; where one business supplied both product and installation, it is generally responsible for the remedy. See the ACCC guidance.
A score lead is only meaningful inside this shared class or tier. Weigh it against the specification and evidence rows above before deciding.
Both products are scored in the Performance & Value class, on the same rubric weighting. Scores are not comparable across classes or tiers. Full methodology.