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Tesla Unveils Solar Roof Options, Gets Closer to Off-the-Grid Future House

The last thing we ever expected to cover on autoevolution are roof tiles, but thanks to a certain Mr. Elon Musk, that is exactly what we are doing now. And the worst part? We're kind of excited about it.
Tesla solar roof tiles house 9 photos
Photo: Tesla
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Ever since Tesla's merger with SolarCity became a thing, we knew this day was coming. Elon Musk talked about energy-independent houses in the 'part deux' of his Masterplan, fueling even further the suspicion that his company's Powerwall was going to be joined by something able to also generate electricity shortly.

Well, not only did that happen, but it coincided with the moment the Powerwall got an upgrade - and a significant one at that. Tesla's home energy storage device received a 100 percent bump in its capacity which has now reached an impressive 14 kWh. Its price has also gone up to $5,500, but that's understandable, especially since the unit now integrates an inverter as well.

Elon Musk says he expects to sell more Powerwalls than cars in the near future, which is a pretty big thing if you consider he plans to ship around 500,000 EVs a year by the end of 2018. But considering the advantages a Powerwall brings - especially in those regions susceptible to power outages - for a relatively small amount of money, his vision might turn out to be true. The timeline for the first Powerwall 2 units shows deliveries starting this December.

It looks like Musk isn't happy upsetting just the bosses of the oil industry, he's now going for the their counterparts in the energy business as well. As impressive as it might be, the new and improved Powerwall was not the start of the recent event. That title had to go to the company's solar roof tiles.

Instead of fixing solar panels over your roof, Tesla is now offering the option to install solar tiles directly. They are said to last for up to three times more than regular ones, and depending on the size of the building, they can provide enough energy to power the entire house. Not the kind of company to skip the design part, Tesla's solar roof tiles come in four flavors: smooth, Tuscan, slate, and textured - you can see them all in the gallery to the right.

The tiles are built in such a way that they look opaque from street level, but they are perfectly transparent when viewed from above, allowing the sunlight to go through. This was achieved thanks to a color louver film that changes the way the glass is perceived depending on the viewing angle.

Musk did not say anything about the cost of this system, but he did mention it will be competitive with traditional roof and solar systems if the energy saving costs are also factored in. That means the fancy solar roof will still be a premium product at first, but if the course taken by Tesla's vehicles is anything to go by, it will eventually get accessible enough to be considered mainstream.

Here is Tesla's description of the new products: “The solar roof consists of uniquely designed glass tiles that complement the aesthetics of any home, embedded with the highest efficiency photovoltaic cells. It is infinitely customizable for a variety of different home styles, each uniquely engineered so that the photovoltaic cells are invisible. Customers can choose which sections of their roof will contain the hidden solar technology while still having the entire roof look the same. These new roofs will seamlessly and beautifully supply renewable energy to homes, battery storage systems and back into the grid creating savings for owners. When combined with Tesla Powerwall, the solar roof can power an entire home with 100% renewable energy. “
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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