(No word on pricing just yet, unfortunately.) The companies are bringing design and manufacturing in-house (or almost so), with Tesla churning out lithium ion batteries at its Nevada Gigafactory, and SolarCity building next generation panels at its 1.2-million-square-foot factory in upstate NY.
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Tech billionaire Elon Musk revealed last Friday his vision of replacing traditional energy sources with solar power, developing a new battery system for every home and producing more electric cars in the future.
These two new products, says SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive, are a “joint collaboration” between SolarCity and Tesla.
The Powerwall 2 stores solar energy to power your home with 14kWh of storage and 7kWh power output – double that of its predecessor. It “needs to attractive, affordable and seamlessly integrated”, Musk posited, opening his presentation in his typical style of pointing out rising carbon dioxide emissions.
The Tesla and SolarCity solar roof is a complete roof that is lovely, durable and brings renewable electricity production to any home or business. It will cost $5,500 (£4,511), Mr Musk said.
Musk declined to answer a reporter’s question about how Tesla’s balance sheet would accommodate the acquisition of SolarCity.
If our cars, our homes and our cities switch over to electrified technologies, Musk claimed that our collective energy needs would increase three times over.
The new products also show how Musk is having increasing influence over SolarCity, pushing the company to focus more on differentiated products instead of its commodity, cutthroat business of selling low cost solar panels.
Tesla as a auto company doesn’t always run smoothly, as historic delivery delays have shown: the Model X SUV arrived three years late.
As the sun set on the Desperate Housewives set, Musk showed hundreds of visitors how perfectly the Tesla solar panels blended into the roofs.
As Tesla loops in Elon Musk’s SolarCity, this is the first sign that the two are getting quite a bit cozier and more complementary in nature.
Tesla plans to start offering installation of the new tiles in the summer of 2017.
Tesla’s new Powerwall isn’t as sleek, but it offers twice the capacity.
The roof is made of a textured glass tile with integrated solar cells.
Tesla’s proposed merger with SolarCity has taken heat. In his presentation, Musk showcases a variety of roofing designs, ranging from traditional to modern a Tuscan tile application, all constructed of glass solar panels that look unlike solar panels have ever looked before. In June, Tesla moved to buy the installer, but the deal is not yet done – shareholders are slated to vote on the deal November 17.
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The flurry of announcements comes at a crucial time for Tesla, which earlier this week surprised analysts by posting a profit for the most recent quarter on the back of stronger than expected shipments of its electric vehicles.
