Tesla has started testing v3.5 of Solar Roof on employees’ homes
Tesla is giving their employees access to their latest solar roof product, version 3.5 to help test it before it does a wider launch later this year.
It’s unclear as to what exactly the new features are in version 3.5, but the FOCUS seems to be on durability and ease of installation. If implementations on employees’ roofs go well, we’ll most likely see an introduction of the new Solar Roof at the end of this year when they begin installations.
The company has gone through a few different versions of the solar roof over the years, with Solar Roof version 3 launching in 2019. CEO Elon Musk stated that Tesla was aiming to produce 1,000 new Solar Roofs per week by the end of 2019.
According to Electrek, Tesla halted scheduling solar roof installations across most markets in the US. This is allegedly due to high cost, and issues with the roof tiles. Third-party companies, however, were able to continue installing Solar Roof.
During the second quarter of 2022, Tesla installed 23 roofs per week or 2.5 MW, short of their intended goal. It’s possible Tesla was waiting for the newer version of the roof tiles before resuming installations.
Until recently, it was difficult to gauge how many Solar Roof installations took place because Tesla bundled the number of installations with its solar panel retrofits, which are much more popular due to their cheaper cost.
As Tesla prepares to resume Solar Roof installations in the fourth quarter of this year, we anticipate that this new iteration of the product will simplify installation, reduce costs, and increase the product’s reliability.
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Tesla’s NACS Connector Standardization: SAE Takes the Wheel, Volvo Joins the Race
In a significant move for the EV industry, SAE International, formerly the Society of Automotive Engineers, is to set performance standards for Tesla’s NACS (North American Charging Standard) connector.
To expand the compatibility of the proprietary charger network beyond Tesla vehicles, this move has the potential to redraw the boundaries of the EV charging ecosystem. Until now, Tesla’s exclusive NACS connector was engineered for its global Supercharger network, consisting of approximately 17,800 Superchargers in the US alone.
SAE’s Role in Ensuring Standardization and Compatibility
In response to the significant shift towards NACS, SAE has decided to set the stage for this connector’s future. The standards proposed by SAE will dictate how the plugs interface with charging stations, establish charging speeds, and set requirements for reliability and cybersecurity. Although the decision seems to potentially mark the end of the road for new CCS1 charger plugs, the thousands of existing CCS-enabled EVs guarantee this design won’t disappear soon.
A spokesperson for SAE has clarified that the organization is not choosing the NACS connector over CCS but responding to its widespread adoption. The goal is to ensure that the most popular charging system is standardized and compatible with a wide range of EVs.
Consumer Demand Drives Major Shift in Charging Standards
Interestingly, the transition toward standardizing the NACS connector appears to be primarily consumer-driven. The number of NACS-equipped vehicles on the road significantly outweighs those with CCS connectors, nearly two to one. Given the technical challenges and infrastructure issues encountered by alternative charging networks such as Electrify America, ChargePoint, and EVgo, it’s no wonder that most EV owners favor Tesla‘s reliable Supercharger network.
Reacting to this trend, major automakers, including Ford and GM, have announced their plans to align with Tesla’s charging system by manufacturing EVs equipped with NACS connectors. This week, Volvo made a similar announcement, signing an agreement to join Tesla’s Supercharger network starting in 2025. It’s important to note that while automakers won’t be charged a licensing fee for adopting NACS, EV owners will still have to pay to use Tesla’s charging stations.
This new chapter in the EV charging story signifies a more unified future that is not just about driving electric vehicles but about making electric driving more accessible to all.
Tesla is kitting out a new 218-home luxury development in Florida with solar roofs, batteries, and electric-vehicle chargers
Tesla is kitting out an entire community of 218 luxury homes in Florida with solar roofs, batteries, and electric-vehicle chargers, Electrek first reported.
Centaur US Holdings is developing the community around a golf course in Palm Beach. The project is called Panther National, and the golf course was designed by retired professional golfer Jack Nicklaus.
The Panther National development team announced in July that it was partnering with Elon Musk’s company to provide energy products for the 218 homes, including Tesla’s solar panels, wall connectors for electric vehicles, and Powerwalls, which are Tesla’s energy-storage batteries.
Strang Design, a Miami-based architectural company, will design the houses.
The whole community covers 2,400 acres, according to Panther National’s website.
Insider asked the development team and Tesla for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.
Tesla recently jacked up the price of individual solar-roof contracts by as much as 70%. Some customers told Insider in May that they’d been ghosted, or sent in circles, by Tesla’s customer service.
In April, Musk announced that all its solar-energy products would come bundled with Powerwalls.
This isn’t the first time Tesla is partnering with a real-estate developer.
In Austin, Texas, Tesla has teamed up with real-estate developer Brookfield for a neighborhood in which every home has Tesla’s solar roofs and battery storage. The houses are currently under construction.
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Tesla Solar Roof Cost: Price Breakdown and Guide (2023)
Jonathon Jachura is a two-time homeowner with hands-on experience with HVAC, gutters, plumbing, lawn care, pest control, and other aspects of owning a home. He is passionate about home maintenance and finding the best services. His main goal is to educate others with crisp, concise descriptions that any homeowner can use. Jon uses his strong technical background to create engaging, easy-to-read, and informative guides. He does most of his home and lawn projects himself but hires professional companies for the “big things.” He knows what goes into finding the best service providers and contractors. Jon studied mechanical engineering at Purdue University in Indiana and worked in the HVAC industry for 12 years. Between his various home improvement projects, he enjoys the outdoors, a good cup of coffee, and spending time with his family.
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A solar roof to your home can add thousands of dollars of value and significantly lower or eliminate your energy bills. The Tesla Solar Roof is a fantastic way to go green without adding solar panels to your roof. And while the Solar Roof has an expensive upfront cost, it can pay for itself after a handful of years and provide you with days of backup energy with the Powerwall.
If you’re ready to get started on going solar today, you can click any of the below links below to get connected with our most recommended installers.
How Much Does a Tesla Solar Roof Cost?
For an average home, the Tesla Solar Roof will cost between 40,000 to 50,000, assuming a 6.14 kW system. And while the Tesla Solar Roof shingles cost less per watt than the national average solar cost, several other factors can increase the cost beyond a traditional system. However, homeowners should keep in mind that they will also have a completely new roof, not just a solar energy system. Additionally, residents purchasing a new solar system will qualify for the Federal Solar Tax Credit and other rebates (depending on their state). These rebates and incentives help make the Solar Roof more affordable.
Solar Glass
Not every shingle in a Tesla Solar Roof is solar generating. There are two reasons why – you don’t need all the shingles to be solar to generate enough energy to power your home, and it helps keep the overall system cost down. These tempered glass shingles look similar to slate shingles, and their inactive counterparts match them exactly. The active shingles are 15″ x 45″, produce 71.67 watts, and cost about 1.80 per watt to install. Their cost is far lower than the 3 per watt average for traditional solar panels, but that’s not all you need to complete your Solar Roof.
Non-Solar Shingles and Roofing Materials
- Complex roofs – 18.54 per square foot: Multi-level roofs with a steep roof pitch, many obstructions, and a very crowded mounting plane.
- Intermediate roofs – 15.30 per square foot: Multi-level roofs with a high roof pitch, some obstructions, and a crowded mounting plane.
- Simple roofs – 13.38 per square foot: Single-level roofs with a low roof pitch, minimal obstructions, and an uncrowded mounting plane.
Is the Tesla Solar Roof Eligible for Any Incentives?
Federal and state incentives can help offset the cost of your Solar Roof. The federal tax credit, also known as the investment tax credit (ITC), allows you to deduct 26% of the cost of your system from your federal taxes.
However, the 26% will only apply to the cost of the solar-energy producing component (solar shingles) and not the non-solar shingles. So, if your Solar Roof costs 40,000, and the solar shingles cost 12,000, you will only receive the 26% tax credit on the 12,000 (not 40,000).
Some states, such as California, offer additional incentives, such as rebates, property tax exemptions, and performance-based incentives too. Keep in mind that some incentives and rebates may only apply to the cost of the solar shingles only and not the rest of the roof.
How Much Energy Can the Tesla Solar Roof Produce?
The solar shingles on the Tesla Solar Roof are made of tempered glass and have an embedded solar cell. The solar cells are connected in series to form a string, and several strings are connected in parallel to form a module.
The power output of the solar shingles is determined by the roof size and the home’s electricity usage. Tesla’s website provides very little in terms of specifications for its solar shingles. However, the company does note that each solar shingle is 71.67 watts, and it offers 5.32 kW to 12.53 kW size systems to homeowners.
Tesla and Elon Musk don’t provide the efficiency of their solar shingles to the public. But various third-party tests put the efficiency of the solar shingles at about 8-10%, which is lower than regular solar panels. However, the overall efficiency of the Solar Roof system is even lower because of the non-solar shingles that make up a majority of the roof.
Tesla Solar Roof | The Best Solar Roof Options For Your Home
As we become more defined by our daily impact on the environment and as the popularity of solar-powered homes has become all the more viable, it was only a matter of time before a company would come along to disrupt the solar roof market with beautiful, innovative design. In comes Tesla, known for their rapidly produced environmentally friendly automobiles that don’t skimp on style, to design and produce life-enhancing alternatives to what were otherwise eyesores you could see on roofs from miles away. Thanks to Tesla shingles, soon enough, we won’t be seeing any more of those garish (although nonetheless vital) oversized solar panels on the homes of savvy owners. Instead, our construction experts predict a new wave of powering your home with sunlight with innovative Tesla solar roof options that mimic the look and feel of traditional roofing materials.
That said, we aren’t saying that the development and innovations of solar products haven’t undergone innovative updates over the past forty years. Though the technology behind the first produced solar roof tiles hails from the 1970s, the look of them hasn’t changed much since then. In fact, over time, we’ve seen several companies attempt to design roof tiles powered by the sun to mimic genuine traditional roofing materials, but they’ve never come close replacing traditional roof-mounted solar panels in terms of aesthetics, cost, or quality. While building integrated solar mechanisms aren’t a new concept, the production of attractive solar tiles is soon to become all the more widely available to our clients since the debut of Tesla solar roof products.
Around two years ago Elon Musk unveiled his visionary “house of the future,” but it wasn’t until late that homeowners started to take note and contact us inquiring about the forward-thinking roof tiles for their own properties. Having been released for over a year, we’re here to report on the admirably sustainable, high-quality reality of Tesla’s techno-tiles, the steps to get them, and why they can make such a difference in your home.
SO WHAT MAKE’S A TESLA SOLAR ROOF SO DIFFERENT?
Solar power absorbing Tesla shingles are made of thin layers of quartz that have been proven to be virtually unbreakable, in fact, there’s even a meme that’s worth a look at to see how resilient they truly are. Tesla solar roof price estimates can vary depending on your location and the installation costs that are unique to the needs of your project, with their solar shingles ranging around 22 per square foot.
And though those estimates are higher compared to older solar roof tiles and panels, a Tesla solar roof is certain to last much longer than conventional roofing materials – meaning that in the long run, Tesla shingles may save you money as they’ll take less maintenance and will need to be replaced less often.
With eight different roof tiles available that are designed to mirror traditional and much-loved styles in both solar and non-solar varieties that use a tempered glass three times stronger than slate or asphalt, there’s more than plenty of reason to consider them. Unfortunately, the tempered glass makes them unsuitable for cutting down to a custom size, so Tesla also offers a variety of non-solar tiles with weaker glass. This also helps you fit roof tiles around the edges of your house, say by the chimney, and anywhere else where Tesla shingles need to be cut down to size. On the other hand, even classic solar panels don’t work on say a metal roof as no solar roof tiles can be placed over the top – that is, until Tesla roof shingles.
Which is why Tesla can offer their “infinity” warranty on their roof tiles with 30 years of coverage for its power-generating capabilities and weatherization elements.
THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS AN ALL-SOLAR ROOF
Think about all of the nooks, crannies, and turns various roofs can take, and the fact that some weaker Tesla solar roof tiles need to be custom cut to fit in place, and it comes as no wonder why Tesla does not suggest the possibility of installing an all-solar roof. To make your roof appear seamless and consistent, the company took great strides in making their two roof tiles appear identical to the untrained eye to create a single, flawless roof.
If you thought you could go full-forced and install a super-powerful solar roof, you should think again. Not that it would have been a substantially wise investment, to begin with.
YOU’LL NOTICE DRAMATIC CHANGES IN YOUR ENERGY USE
Before the process is finalized, Tesla will ask to survey your energy usage to take an average accurate metered rate and design a Tesla solar roof that’s unique to your home.
And with older solar roofing technology, energy storage was frequently expensive and difficult to store. To combat this, Tesla created sleek ‘Powerwalls’ or batteries that take little space and look great to boot.
After installation, you’ll notice just how much energy you do use and that goes to waste since depleting your solar Powerwall while the roof is inactive, such as overnight, means your system buys energy from a traditional electric grid. To combat that, you can easily add more Powerwalls after taking note of power discrepancies.
THERE’S AN APP FOR EVERYTHING – OF COURSE
To track usage and power available, Tesla created an easy to use app for checking energy usage in real-time. This shows how much power the roof has produced, how much your Powerwall is saving, and how much is available for use around the house, any time.
Soon enough you’ll notice that the Tesla solar roof app is somewhat like a challenging game, helping you use your energy where and when it matters most, so you’ll know exactly what’s happening so you can spread things out.
YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT’S BEEN TAKING ALL YOUR ENERGY
You may just be in for a shock when you realize how much energy is used by each appliance via the Tesla solar app. Soon enough, just like what foods have the most calories, you’ll have a new level of awareness and know exactly what appliances take the most energy, and which take the least.
Though it yield’s very little returns financially when your Tesla solar roof is amassing energy and your Powerwall is fully charged, you can send the surplus energy back to your grid to be shared.
TAX CREDIT
Best of all and never to be forgotten is that the national 30% Solar Investment Tax Credit applies to the cost of Tesla solar roof tiles and the necessary solar energy equipment needed including the cost of Tesla Powerwall batteries. Plus, additional state, local, or utility solar roof incentives may also help to benefit you.