Elon Musk posts update on international Tesla Solar Roof roll-out

We mentioned earlier that Tesla’s Solar Roof, which replaces tiled roofs (standard in Europe) with tiles which also double as solar panels, was more suitable for the European market, but that the product was only available in USA at present.

A week ago Elon Musk said he would announce the timing of the roll-out to the European and Chinese market soon.

Europe & China timing will be announced soon

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 10, 2020

Now, as part of a post announcing an expansion of the service in USA, he also confirmed that the Tesla Solar Roof was expanding internationally later this year.

Looking forward to international expansion later this year ?

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 16, 2020

Musk said the Solar Roof tiles will initially be produced in USA, but will hopefully eventually be produced locally.

Initially, yes, but then will make sense to localize closer to customers. Pretty much same plan as vehicles.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 16, 2020

Elon Musk has earlier said expanding its solar panel business, which is acquired when Tesla purchased Solar City in 2016, was one of their main priorities for 2020.

Tesla unveiled the 3rd generation of their Tesla Solar Roof tiles last year, and say the Solar Roof is cheaper than a new roof and a separate roof-mounted solar system in about 80% of cases.

The latest 3rd generation tiles featured improved power density, meaning 50% fewer solar tiles are needed, which helps bring down the cost. Tesla estimates a typical Solar Roof will still cost about $33,950 with a 25-year warranty.

You can read more about the system at Tesla here or hear about a first-hand experience with the product in this article here.

Via Tesmanian