Tesla Shows Off Solar Roof Tiles
Local Editor
Roof tiles with built-in solar panels were unveiled by Tesla chief executive Elon Musk.
The tiles, made from glass, are intended to be a more attractive way to add solar panels to homes, compared with currently-used solar technology.
The launch took place in Universal Studios, Los Angeles, on what used to be the set for the television show Desperate Housewives.
It comes with Tesla due to take over struggling energy firm Solar City.
Some of the electric carmaker's investors expressed concern over the takeover, suggesting it is a Tesla-funded bail-out of a company Musk has a vested interest in as its biggest shareholder.
Bringing the solar tiles to the Desperate Housewives set was a way of displaying the idea's key selling point: it looks far better than solar paneling.
No price was given for the tiles, which come in a variety of colors and styles, though Musk did say it would be cheaper than fitting a traditional roof and then adding solar on top.
Also part of the launch was Powerwall 2, Tesla's home battery product. The primary function of the Powerwall is to store any surplus energy from the solar panels. It will cost $5,500 [£4,511], Musk said.
Tesla posted a surprise profit in its last quarterly earnings - its first in three years.
The $2.6bn acquisition of Solar City seems set to see the company plunge back into the red, but Musk insisted on Friday that the deal made sense as having separate companies would "slow things down".
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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