Tesla Discontinues Solar Roof Product After Struggling Economics
Tesla has discontinued its Solar Roof product, according to a report from Electrek. The company stopped taking orders for the glass solar tiles as of August 20 and informed installers it would no longer supply them. Tesla redirected customers on its website toward conventional solar panels instead. The Solar Roof was introduced in October 2016 with high expectations, including CEO Elon Musk's prediction that installations could reach 1,000 per week within a year or two of launch. However, the product faced significant economic challenges, as real-world costs exceeded initial estimates and prices were sharply raised even for customers who had already signed contracts. Tesla has not publicly explained its decision to discontinue Solar Roof but is believed to have internally concluded it was financially unviable. The solar business's performance also declined over recent quarters, with deployments dropping 59% year-over-year in Q4 2023. Despite this setback, Tesla’s energy segment continues growing through products like the Megapack and Powerwall.
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