Cool Tech: Tesla Solar Roof Tiles are Available to Order

It’s probably no surprise to most of you that I’m pretty obsessed with new technology, design and the future. So it only make sense that I’m a huge fan of Elon Musk and his various endeavors, especially when it comes to Space travel, but I’m also very interested in the development and future of smart homes and the eventual conversion to clean power sources like solar.  Which is why today is so exciting, Telsa has just officially made their new Solar Roof Tiles available for pre order on the Tesla website along with provided some more information about them.

From the Picture above we can see the different Tile styles that will be available now and coming in 2018. Currently the Textured and Smooth options are available for order in the US with delivery/installation being available in late 2017 and the Tuscan and Slate options coming in 2018.

Here are a few of the specs/details released:

  • Tile warrantyInfinity, or the lifetime of your house, whichever comes first
  • Power warranty30 years
  • Weatherization warranty30 years
  • Roof Pitch 14 to 90 degrees
  • Hail ratingClass 4 FM 4473 (best hail rating)
  • Wind ratingClass F ASTM D3161 (best wind rating)
  • Fire ratingClass A UL 790 (best fire rating)
  • Glass Coating Standards ASTM 1376 (best in class aesthetics) EN 1096 (best in class reliability)

For the full details, be sure to check out the site here: https://www.tesla.com/en_CA/solarroof

Pre ordering (for a deposit of $1,000 US) has begun now with delivery and installation expected late 2017 for the US and 2018 for international orders.

From the looks of the promotional images and the fact that the sq ft.  cost (approximately $42/sq.ft.)  is on par or lower than similar roofing options without the ability to produce solar power I’m sure these are going to be a huge hit and baring any major delays or issues will be a major product for Tesla in the coming years.

Another really interesting fact is Tesla’s Infinite Tile Warranty, which I’m sure will be a huge selling point for some.

From Tesla: Made with tempered glass, Solar Roof tiles are more than three times stronger than standard roofing tiles. That’s why we offer the best warranty in the industry – the lifetime of your house, or infinity, whichever comes first. Watch our hail test video to see how we take durability to a whole new level.  

[KGVID]http://cadintentions.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Hail_3up_Smooth_h264.m4v[/KGVID]

Test video for the highest (class 4) hail rating, filmed at 2,500 frames per second. Each 5 cm hailstone is travelling 160 km/h on impact.

 

In my case, our current roof is a metal roof and added to that I’m located in Canada, I won’t be pre ordering just yet. I am curious if you will be jumping on the Solar Roof train, and if so which style will you be choosing? Let me know in the comments as well I’m really curious to hear your thoughts on solar roof tiles in general and have you designed or worked with any off the grid or solar projects yet?

As always, thank you for reading and happy drafting!

Cheers!

Just in case you haven’t seen it yet, I recent wrote and AutoCAD book: The AutoCAD Productivity Handbook
check it out and let me know what you think!

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Brandon is a Civil Designer, Aspiring Blogger/Creator, Husband, Father to two Amazing Kids and Tech Aficionado from a small town in Canada. He has been obsessed with design and technology since he can remember and working as a Civil Designer for nearly as long. Brandon’s blog and Youtube channel, CADIntentions.com has been his outlet and excuse for keeping up with new tech and trends in the CAD design world for the last 10 years growing to more than 60,000 subscribers and over 15,000,000 views, while also being the source of many great friendships and unique opportunities. If you would like to Sponsor CAD Intentions or Work together in some way, Please visit my About Page and send me an email: http://cadintentions.com/about-me/