Tesla abandons Solar Roof tiles — Engadget

Tesla, according to Electrek, is discontinuing the Solar Roof product, while its network of third-party installers will receive conventional solar panels going forward. Electrek reported this in August 2026, writes Engadget. The Solar Roof page on Tesla's website redirects visitors to the section for conventional panels, while the product itself has disappeared from the Energy menu.

A bet on inconspicuous panels

Solar Roof was designed as an alternative to traditional solar panels: roofing tiles were intended to conceal photovoltaic elements from view from the street. According to Tesla's patent application, special louvers were meant to cover the elements from a side angle while only minimally obstructing the passage of sunlight to them.

The product entered mass production in 2020. During a call with investors following the first quarter of 2021, Tesla CEO Elon Musk acknowledged significant mistakes that caused cost overruns and substantial delays.

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High price and weak sales

According to Wood Mackenzie, as of 2023, Solar Roof had been installed on approximately 3,000 homes in the United States. Even at its peak in 2022, Tesla installed between 21 and 32 such roofs per week, although Musk had previously set a target of 1,000 installations weekly.

In 2021, Electrek cited an example of a 3,947-square-foot roof with a 12.3-kW system: its cost before incentives rose over a year from $54,966 to $79,938–$100,621. At the same time, prices for conventional solar panels were falling thanks to mass production and more efficient modules.

Users also reported insufficient electricity generation, as well as cases of roof underlayment melting. At the same time, some installers, according to TechCrunch, continue to offer Solar Roof depending on the timeline of a specific project.