Tesla is preparing to say goodbye to its Solar Roof solar power tile project, which it introduced approximately 10 years ago. It is reported that the company will no longer supply Solar Roof tiles to certified third-party installers and will only offer conventional solar panels in the future.

Changes to Tesla’s official website also reinforce this development. The dedicated page previously allocated to Solar Roof now redirects directly to the solar panels page, and the product has been removed from the power navigation menu and support page.

The Strong History of the Solar Roof Project

Introduced by Elon Musk in 2016, Solar Roof was announced with great anticipation as tiles that both function as a roof and generate electricity. However, it was later revealed in lawsuits related to the SolarCity acquisition that the tiles used in the launch of the project were non-functional prototypes.

Tesla argued that Solar Roof would be an economical solution for homeowners who needed a new roof and wanted to use solar power. In practice, however, the commissioning processes proved to be far more complex and costly than expected.

Elon Musk admitted in 2021 that they had made significant mistakes in assessing the difficulty level of the roofs. It was stated that commissioning costs could increase by up to three times the initial estimates due to roof overhangs and infrastructure problems.

The resulting price increases led to a class-action lawsuit against Tesla, arguing that it had significantly increased costs after the contract was signed. The company agreed to settle this settlement in 2023 with a $6 million settlement.

Falling Suram Numbers

High Suram costs and production delays prevented Solar Roof from achieving its targeted commercial success. Tesla had aimed to complete 1,000 roof models by 2020.

A report published by Wood Mackenzie in 2023 revealed the project’s true performance. The research firm estimates that only around 3,000 Solar Roof systems have been installed nationwide since 2016.

Looking at Tesla’s 2022 data, the average weekly Suram number was only 21. The company has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding this matter.

What do you think about this breakthrough by Tesla?