Tesla has sold out of its stocks for solar roof tiles. The news comes just 16 days after pre-sales for the product began. The shortage for the tiles is likely to push into 2018.
Tesla is changing the way we understand power. In a lavish announcement, Tesla founder Elon Musk announced that their hugely anticipated solar roof tiles will be available for sale. Details were withheld during the initial release announcement but it was clear that the tiles were going to be available for sale with US orders fulfilled this year and international orders available in 2018.
Early adopters of the technology are going to be celebrating their enthusiasm with Tesla reporting that it has sold all of its available tiles and will be out of stock until late 2018.
Two of the four styles of solar roof tiles were available to purchase with a $1,000 deposit. Tesla offered an infinity warranty on the product as a roof tile and guaranteed they will provide 30 years of solar power.
Tesla claims the solar tiles will set back a typical homeowner about $21.85 USD per square foot and encouraged potential customers to do the math using data from the Google Sunroof project.
Tesla is no stranger to enthusiastic pre-ordering. The Tesla Model 3 sold out a year's worth of production in its first few weeks causing a massive upheaval in the company’s production scale.
The passion for this technology is good news for the green energy sector. Here is a hard case study that consumers in the US are more than ready to adopt to this planet saving technology. It isn’t just Tesla pushing the trend. The price for solar energy has been cut by two-thirds since 2006. It is estimated that over 1 million US homes use solar power in comparison to just 30,000 homes in 2006. An increase in the panel's efficiency and simpler tools to make long-term cost calculations have also had a positive impact on consumers.
Installation still poses a problem for solar power for both Tesla and regular solar panels. Tesla is reportedly undergoing a huge recruitment drive for roofers who will also need to be trained in solar electric to install the tiles according to the warranty standards. Independent solar commissions urge customers to get several quotes before committing as overcharging has been a problem in some states.
Tesla will be sure to stay as a market frontrunner when they release two more styles of tiles early next year. The new styles are Tuscan glass tiles and Slate glass tile roof.
It is anticipated that Tesla will respond to the unexpected sales with an increase in production. While additional production will be carried out at the Buffalo, NY Gigafactory, more factories are likely to be established. Tesla came under fire recently for poor working conditions in its Californian based Tesla car factory. The Guardian reported that ambulances had been called more than 100 times in the last 3 years due to workers' injuries and illness caused by extreme working conditions.
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