Tesla just killed Solar Roof after years of complaints and price hikes

[Skye Jacobs]

In a nutshell: Tesla has stopped taking orders for Solar Roof, ending its push to sell solar shingles as an alternative to conventional rooftop panels. The decision reflects the high costs and installation challenges that kept the solar-shingle product from becoming commercially viable.

The company told its certified third-party installers that Solar Roof is no longer available for new projects. Tesla will continue selling standard solar panels and home battery systems instead. Its former Solar Roof web address now sends visitors to the company's solar-panel page.

The move follows years of high costs, difficult installations, and customer complaints. Two sources close to the program told Electrek that Tesla determined the product was not financially viable.

Solar Roof used glass tiles designed to generate electricity while serving as roofing material. That made the system more complicated than standard solar arrays, which are mounted above an existing roof. Tesla needed specialized equipment to make the tiles, and installation often required more customized work.

The added expense appears to have been a central problem. Solar Roof was positioned as a cleaner-looking option for homeowners who did not want visible solar panels, but demand was not enough to support the product's manufacturing costs.

Owners also reported problems after installation. Some customers faced long waits for repairs and high service costs. Others raised concerns about temperature management, possibly because the integrated tiles did not provide the same airflow as conventional panels mounted on racks above a roof.

Tesla also faced disputes over Solar Roof pricing. Some customers said Tesla increased project quotes substantially after contracts were signed, sometimes by as much as 100%. Those complaints led to a class-action lawsuit that Tesla settled in 2023.

Tesla has not said it will stop supporting homes that already have Solar Roof systems. Existing owners should remain covered under warranty, though the end of new sales means the company will no longer be adding to the product's customer base.

The company's shift puts more focus on conventional rooftop panels and battery storage, including the Powerwall. Those products use established supply chains and installation methods and do not require replacing a home's roof with specialized photovoltaic tiles.

Tesla's decision does not end the market for solar shingles. GAF and Merlin Solar still offer products designed to generate power as part of a roof. But Tesla's exit removes a high-profile player from a category that has struggled to move beyond a relatively small share of the residential solar market.

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Tesla just killed Solar Roof after years of complaints and price hikes

 

[yRaz]

I never found the look of solar panels to be offensive enough to justify the increased cost of teslas solar roof. It also seems like solar panels are common enough now that any stigma against them is gone. My neighborclaims he hasn't had an electric bill in the 3 years since installing them and he only has to pay $12 a month to the electric company because code dictates you still have to be connected to the grid

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

I never found the look of solar panels to be offensive enough to justify the increased cost of teslas solar roof. It also seems like solar panels are common enough now that any stigma against them is gone. My neighborclaims he hasn't had an electric bill in the 3 years since installing them and he only has to pay $12 a month to the electric company because code dictates you still have to be connected to the grid

The prices of solar roofs in some cases were so exorbitant that I'm surprised this product was sunset after the Model S/X. You could have a small house and pay less for a fully-stocked Model X than a solar roof. Estimates on Tesla's own website showed the cost increased 170% until 2024: https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/h...olar-roof-cost-compared-to-conventional-solar

 

[Theinsanegamer]

I never found the look of solar panels to be offensive enough to justify the increased cost of teslas solar roof. It also seems like solar panels are common enough now that any stigma against them is gone. My neighborclaims he hasn't had an electric bill in the 3 years since installing them and he only has to pay $12 a month to the electric company because code dictates you still have to be connected to the grid

There's far more to a solar roof then just "oh it looks ugly eeeeeeee".

Traditional panels take up space, hypothetically making the whole roof a solar panel drastically increases the amount of surface area to gather electricity, and also avoids the issues that come with putting holes in your roof to mount panels.

The prices of solar roofs in some cases were so exorbitant that I'm surprised this product was sunset after the Model S/X. You could have a small house and pay less for a fully-stocked Model X than a solar roof. Estimates on Tesla's own website showed the cost increased 170% until 2024: https://www.solarreviews.com/blog/h...olar-roof-cost-compared-to-conventional-solar

I don't understand why. The coat of solar has been continuously declining for years. Why were solar roofs going up?

 

[yRaz]

There's far more to a solar roof then just "oh it looks ugly eeeeeeee".

Traditional panels take up space, hypothetically making the whole roof a solar panel drastically increases the amount of surface area to gather electricity, and also avoids the issues that come with putting holes in your roof to mount panels.
I don't understand why. The coat of solar has been continuously declining for years. Why were solar roofs going up?

there is still a traditional roof underneath a solar roof and there are also dummy tiles that they put in places where it doesn't make financial sense to put them. There is a vapor barrier covered in an asphalt sheet then there are rails parallel to the roof that the solar tiles mount and connect to.

Finally, I don't think you understand that there are still holes in your roof. Asphalt shingles are first nailed down and the underside of the tile has a layer of asphalt in it that heats up and bindsto the shingle underneath it. A common problem with leaky roofs is that e of the nails will work it's way out over time and the solution is to get up on the roof with some hot tar, hit the nail back in with a hammer and seal it with tar.

Your roof doesn't leak because gravity washes water over the tiles or shingles that are layered in such a way to make water climbing UP difficult. Every roof has thousands of holes in.

The Tesla solar roofs don't magically create more electricity or a stronger roof. Also, the solar roof tiles only have about half of their surface area to collecting solar so you might actually be able to get more solar from regular panels than off of solar tiles.

 

[NumberNine]

If Elon Musk and every company he presides over were to disappear instantly, I wouldn't notice unless someone reported on it.

 

[Plutoisaplanet]

If Elon Musk and every company he presides over were to disappear instantly, I wouldn't notice unless someone reported on it.

This has literally nothing to do with the topic lol. Even if your comment were true, all your comment basically says is "I hate Elon Musk". No one cares.

I don't understand why. The coat of solar has been continuously declining for years. Why were solar roofs going up?

There's not much information in the source I linked to but as Tesla stopped installing them, installation costs went up. Here's what it says:

Some of the price increases could be attributed to Tesla’s pivot away from direct installations and relying on third-party installers. Still, it seems Tesla may have underestimated the material and labor costs for its roof shingles.

 

[netman]

Tesla just killed Solar Roof after years of complaints and price hikes

Another screw-up by Musk as he got ahead of himself on selling a product that didn't pass the test of times in a log run...!

 

[p51d007]

I never found the look of solar panels to be offensive enough to justify the increased cost of teslas solar roof. It also seems like solar panels are common enough now that any stigma against them is gone. My neighborclaims he hasn't had an electric bill in the 3 years since installing them and he only has to pay $12 a month to the electric company because code dictates you still have to be connected to the grid

Bet people wanting solar panels that live in an HOA can't have them because some "karen" won't allow them.

 

[yRaz]

Bet people wanting solar panels that live in an HOA can't have them because some "karen" won't allow them.

HOAs cannot stop you from putting solar panels on your roof under what are called "solar access laws". Its not on a federal level, but most states have them