Tesla will start taking orders next month for its solar roof, CEO Elon Musk said during a tweetstorm Friday morning that included new information about the upcoming Model 3 and a video of a “release candidate version” of the vehicle.
In the midst of Tesla’s acquisition of solar installer SolarCity last year, the company unveiled solar roof tiles as well as new versions of batteries that store energy captured by the sun to later power buildings. The company has developed four roof tile styles: Tuscan glass, smooth glass, slate glass, and textured glass tiles.
Start taking orders in April
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 24, 2017
Tesla (TSLA) has released a few more details since its splashy October event introducing the roof tiles, including some insight into the materials of the product and how it works. But information has been scant on pricing and where the tiles will first become available.
Production of the roof tiles is slated to begin in mid 2017, according to the company website. The company, which says the solar roof will last longer and cost less than a traditional tile roof, said in a letter to shareholders in February that it will begin selling and installing the product later this year.
To support the production of solar roof tiles, Tesla announced a solar cell manufacturing partnership with Panasonic. Production is scheduled to begin in Buffalo, NY this year.