A Thing of Beauty: Tesla Reveals Result of First Solar Roof Installation
Tesla has installed its first solar roof on a real home, and needless to say, it’s gorgeous.
“We have installed working Solar Roof tiles,” CEO Elon Musk told investors during a quarterly earnings conference call earlier this week.
Preorders for the roof tiles opened in May. Musk says units will start shipping in the US later this year and internationally in 2018, though the waits could be even longer for those just ordering now. Musk and Tesla chief technology officer Jeffrey Straubel are already battle-testing the product on their own homes, however.
The solar roof tiles are priced by design to be a no-brainer: factoring in energy savings, the tiles are expected to cost less than traditional roofing over the long term. They’re also virtually indestructible, according to Musk, calling his product “the most durable roof available”—a bold claim backed up by a warranty that lasts the lifetime of a house.
Musk suggests pairing a Solar Roof with a Tesla in the garage and a Powerpack wall battery to power an entire house and car via the sun. He hopes to ramp up production—of both the Solar Roof and the Model 3—in the coming months to meet rising demand.
