Tesla has just introduced its third generation solar roof. Elon Musk revealed these new solar tiles, cheaper and more efficient by increasing their density and reducing the number of components.

We know Elon Musk and his bursts of optimism. When he presents his solar tile solution as more economical than a conventional roof equipped with solar panels, we want to believe him. But we will have to wait and see.

Tesla's new solar tiles promise to be cheaper and more efficient

Tesla isn't just an electric vehicle maker, although that's why the brand is world famous. Tesla sees itself as a company providing turnkey energy solutions. This involves the collection of electrical energy by solar panels, their storage in Powerwall or Powerpack batteries, the famous giant batteries, as well as a large network of electric vehicle chargers.

In 2016, Elon Musk announced with great fanfare a system of tiles equipped with solar panels. Their particularity was their appearance, in every way similar to classic tiles. The idea was to have the roof generate electricity without sacrificing design. Despite a great idea, the success was not there, the tiles being expensive, difficult to obtain and to install. For its second version, Tesla therefore fell back on a more traditional solution, which also did not achieve the expected success. A solar panel rental operation was even recently launched.

A totally redesigned new generation

For its third iteration, which we told you about two days ago, Tesla is going back to basics by improving its tile system. The company focused on price and performance. Confident, she announces that this generation will, this time, guarantee success. By increasing the cell density, each tile should be able to produce more than the previous version. The construction has been reviewed in order to limit the number of components required and therefore reduce the cost.

But what could really allow the success of this “Solar Roof” is that its installation has been simplified. Thus, Tesla no longer needs to install the roofs itself, but can call on roofing craftsmen. Putting up a roof is expected to take just 8 hours. Here again, Elon Musk's optimist is present. Of course, the efficiency is lower than with a conventional solar panel, but Tesla estimates the loss of performance at less than 10%. Pre-orders are open, but for the black version only for now.

Topics: tesla