Its official: After Tesla shareholdersapproved theacquisition of SolarCity the newcompanyis nowan unequivocalsun-to-vehicle energy firm. And Chief Executive OfficerElon Musk didnt take long to make his firstbig announcement ashead of this new enterprise. Minutes after shareholders approvedthe dealabout 85 percent of them voted yesMusk told the crowd thathe had just returned from a meeting with his newsolar engineering team. Teslas new solar roof product he proclaimed willactually cost lessto manufacture and install than a traditional roofeven before savings from the power bill. Electricity Musksaid is just a bonus. If Musks claims prove true this could be a real turning point in the evolution of solar power. The rooftop shingles heunveiled just a few weeks ago are something to behold: Theyre made of textured glass andare virtually indistinguishable from high-end roofing products. They also transform light into power for yourhome and your electric car. So the basic propositionwill be:Would you like a roof that looks better than a normal roof lasts twice as long costs less andby the waygenerates electricity? Musk said. Why would you get anything else? Make no mistake: The new shingles will still be a premium product at least when they first roll out.The terra cotta and slate roofs Tesla mimicked are among the most expensive roofing materials on the marketcosting as much as 20 times more thancheap asphalt shingles. Much of the cost savings Musk is anticipating comes from shipping the materials. Traditional roofing materials are brittle heavy and bulky. Shipping costs are high as is the quantity lost to breakage. The new tempered-glass roof tilesengineered in Teslas new automotive and solar glass division weigh as little as a fifth of current productsand are considerably easierto ship Musk said. WhenMusk first unveiled the tiles on Oct. 28 the pricing details were murkier. He said that someone who buys a Tesla roof when the product is released next summer will save money compared with someone who buys a comparable traditional roof plus electricity from the grid. But on a large house over a long period of time the value of that electricity could exceed $100000. The new target he unveiled today is considerably cheaper and its considerably more promising for the future of rooftopsolar power. First seen: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-17/musk-says-tesla-s-solar-shingles-will-cost-less-than-a-dumb-roof Find our roofer profile here The post Musk Says Teslas Solar Shingles Will Cost Less Than a Dumb Roof appeared first on http://cork.elevateroofing.ie/ via Elevate Roofing Website Feeds http://cork.elevateroofing.ie/musk-says-teslas-solar-shingles-will-cost-less-dumb-roof/