According to Consumer Reports, Tesla can charge no more than $73,500 for a fully installed glass solar tile roof for its product to be competitive with traditional roofs.
Though the company has yet to release specifics on cost, Elon Musk touted that the product would beat “rivals” in price, efficiency, and looks. The question is what Musk deems its rivals – traditional roofs or roofs plus solar panels.
Consumer Reports estimate that to cover the roughly 3,000 square feet of roof needed for the average U.S. home size, homeowners would have to shed $16,000 for clay tile, $20,000 for an asphalt roof, and $45,000 for a slate roof.
The magazine calculated $60,000 in added value from 30 years free of electric bills ($2,000 a year is a typical electric bill in states where solar is big, like California, Texas, and North Carolina), and did other calculations to arrive at $73,500 as the price point a Tesla textured of smooth glass solar roof could be considered cost-competitive with a $20,000 asphalt roof.
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