Tesla has reportedly discontinued its Solar Roof product, ending the company’s attempt to combine solar power generation with roof tiles designed to look like conventional roofing materials.
According to reports, Tesla has informed its third-party installer network that the Solar Roof is no longer available to order. Installers will instead supply the company’s conventional solar panels to customers.
Tesla has yet to officially announce the discontinuation. However, several changes to its website appear to support the report, with the dedicated Solar Roof webpage now redirecting users to Tesla’s solar panel page. The Solar Roof option has also disappeared from the company’s Tesla Energy product menu.
Tesla first unveiled the Solar Roof concept in 2016, but mass production did not begin until March 2020. The product struggled to gain widespread adoption and reportedly failed to meet the company’s installation targets.
In 2021, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk acknowledged that the company had made significant mistakes with the Solar Roof, resulting in higher costs and delays. A 2023 Wood Mackenzie report estimated that only around 3,000 US homes had received the solar shingles since their launch, far below Tesla’s original target of 1,000 installations per week.
The latest report suggests Tesla ultimately determined that Solar Roof was not financially viable. By comparison, the company has continued to see stronger demand for its conventional solar panels.
Tesla is also planning to expand its solar panel production, including a proposed US$10 billion factory near Houston, Texas, which would be used to increase manufacturing capacity.
The reported decision marks a major setback for a product that was once promoted as a key part of Tesla’s vision for combining renewable energy with everyday home design.
