Tesla sunsets its Solar Roof tiles
Tesla has reportedly discontinued its Solar Roof tiles after concluding the product is financially unviable, redirecting to standard panels.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Tesla has reportedly discontinued its Solar Roof solar tile product.
- Sources indicate the company concluded the venture is financially unviable.
- Official website pages for Solar Roof now redirect to standard solar panels.
- The company is shifting focus to traditional solar panels with a new $10 billion factory plan.
Tesla has reportedly discontinued Solar Roof, its solar panels designed to resemble regular roofing tiles, according to Electrek. Sources close to the program informed the publication that Tesla has notified its third-party installer network that Solar Roof is no longer available to order, and only conventional solar panels will be supplied moving forward.
While Tesla has not officially announced the discontinuation of the product, several changes to its website corroborate the report. The dedicated Solar Roof page launched nearly a decade ago now automatically redirects visitors to Tesla's standard solar panel page, and the option has been removed from the navigation menu for Tesla Energy products, leaving only Solar Panels, Powerwall, and Megapack listed.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Tesla first unveiled the Solar Roof project back in 2016, but mass production was not achieved until March 2020. The venture struggled to gain momentum, and CEO Elon Musk admitted in 2021 that the company made significant mistakes with the product, leading to over-expenditure and delays.
A 2023 report by Wood Mackenzie estimated that the solar shingles had only been installed on about 3,000 US homes since their launch, falling drastically short of Tesla's initial target of 1,000 installations per week.
The company has reportedly concluded the product is financially unviable.
Electrek
Tesla's withdrawal from the solar roof market highlights the immense commercial challenges of merging high-tech renewable energy generation with traditional residential construction materials, which often involves complex and high installation costs. Refocusing resources on more profitable and proven hardware like conventional solar panels aligns with a pragmatic business strategy for long-term scalability.
Despite dropping the solar tiles, Tesla continues to experience greater success with its traditional solar panels and is currently planning to construct a new $10 billion factory near Houston, Texas, to scale up production capacity.
Source: The Verge
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