Solar batteries Elon Mask. Tesla and SolarCity showed roofs made of solar panels. What about Musk's super batteries?
A presentation was held in Los Angeles that demonstrated the joint developments that Tesla is conducting with SolarCity. A few weeks ago it was announced that company specialists are busy creating solar panels that can be used to cover the roof instead of the usual tiles and outdated roofing iron. Before the event began, the roof of the house near the stage was equipped with new solar panels, specially made for the presentation. But while everyone was waiting for Musk to appear on the stage, no one paid attention to these roofs - they looked like ordinary and unremarkable tiles... They did not cover the entire surface of the roof with panels, installing only the required number that could provide for the owners of the house the required volume electricity.
Elon Musk announced from the stage that the roof panel is a single structure, and not a mosaic of individual elements. IN at the moment you can choose one of four types coverings: textured glass, slate, tiles and glass tiles. This consists new system power supply from, in fact, the roof itself and the energy storage device, and the price, Musk emphasized, is quite comparable to the prices of traditional covering material with installation. Tesla plans to supply solar roof panels to customers, bypassing retail chains that sell building materials. The head of Tesla Motors also presented an improved Powerwall 2 system, which converts solar energy into electrical energy.
The event had great value for Tesla, as it was supposed to show investors the importance of combining Musk's automaker with energy startup SolarCity. Musk explained that if the merger does not happen, it will be difficult to produce panels. However, the positive dynamics and Tesla Motors turning positive in the third quarter of 2016 suggest that investors will soften their stance on the merger.
The idea of placing photovoltaic panels on the roofs of houses and the facades of office buildings seems to the founder of Tesla to be a sure-fire way to quickly and painlessly join renewable energy sources. Presented by Elon Musk, the “solar tile” project—modules with built-in solar panels hidden under a material that imitates conventional roofing—managed to impress and interest the public. On the one hand, installing electricity-generating roofs would allow the homeowner to have free source energy, and on the other hand, it would simultaneously fit into the exterior design, without making global changes to the style of the building.
Taking into account the two advantages mentioned above, a logical question arises about the cost of such an upgrade, which could negate all the advantages of the much-touted “solar roofs” developed by Tesla, making them economically unjustified. At the time of the announcement, there were no questions about pricing policy for such a product, although Mr. Musk himself emphasized the need to produce truly affordable products. The cost of such roofs will not exceed the price of a high-quality roof.
After a recent meeting of Tesla shareholders, during which the company’s co-owners voted to acquire the Solar City energy company, Elon Musk assured that their “solar tiles” would not just be the same price as standard roof, and even cheaper than it. If we take into account the savings on electricity bills after installing innovative roofs, their mass appearance may not be far off. In addition to this argument, Tesla experts assured that their proprietary “tiles” with a glass layer characterized by voluminous textures will in practice be more durable and resistant than the existing alternative in the same price range without built-in solar panels. True, the question of timely maintenance of Tesla roofs, repair of individual sections of it that were damaged by the elements or careless neighbors, as well as complete replacement high-tech roofing if necessary.
“Yesterday I met with engineers from the Solar City team and, despite the lack of 100 percent guarantees in achieving the desired result, we are moving along the path of creating roofs with integrated solar panels and original design solutions with a cost lower than the roofing used today. And in theory, its cost may turn out to be more attractive even without taking into account the savings on electricity bills. Therefore, consider our proposal: would you like to become the owner of a roof that looks no worse regular roof, but will last you twice as long, will cost less, and also powers electrical appliances?”,— Elon Musk summed up.
Model X: a curiosity at speed
Tesla co-founder and CEO Elon Musk personally presented the new product to experts and journalists. Specifications Model X turned out to be similar to the characteristics of the company’s bestseller, the Model S electric sedan. The crossover will accelerate to 100 km/h in approximately 3.2-4.8 seconds. And the P90D engine comes equipped with a “curious” mode, in which the speed becomes so high, “that it’s even somehow wrong,” Musk noted. Power reserve is approximately 400 km.
Crossover for the whole family
Tesla's crossover is great large families: even when fully loaded - the car seats up to 7 people - luggage space remains under the hood, where the engine is located in “non-electric cars” internal combustion. The company also hopes to expand its audience to female customers, who are especially active in the SUV segment in the American market.
Start without Musk
Tesla Motors was founded in 2003 by fellow engineers Martin Eberhard (pictured) and Mark Tappening. They named the company after Nikola Tesla, a famous inventor in the field of electrical and radio engineering. Elon Musk joined the project only in 2004, after the sale of the PayPal payment system to the online auction eBay.
First after Ford
In 2010, Tesla went public with its IPO, becoming the first automobile company to go public since Ford. In May of the same year, the company received $50 million in investment from Toyota and used this money to purchase the closed NUMMI plant in California, previously owned by a Japanese corporation. Among Tesla's latest investors are Google Corporation and leading investment funds in Silicon Valley. Cumulatively, the company has raised $5.3 billion since 2010, with each funding round generating excitement. IN last time Tesla raised $650 million in August 2015 with a priority of spending funds on the construction of a unique Gigafactory battery production plant in the middle of the desert in Nevada.
Waiting for profit
Tesla has not yet become profitable - at the beginning of 2015, Musk said that the company would achieve this goal in 2020, when it would reach annual sales of 500,000 electric vehicles. Other disclosed financial indicators are already looking great: Tesla should reach $5.5 billion in revenue this year, which is 54% more than in 2014. The company's shares have increased in price 15-fold since its IPO in 2010, with capitalization recently breaking the $33 billion mark.
Scandinavian boom
Following the American market, Tesla is rapidly conquering European consumers. In August, the company reported a doubling of sales in the Old World in the first half of 2015. The real boom is happening in Norway, where generous government subsidies in two years they tripled the fleet of electric vehicles to 50,000 units. True, subsidies will be canceled in 2018. What will happen next can be understood from the example of neighboring Denmark: with the elimination of “green” benefits, the price of Model S here immediately soared by 180%.
Primacy of charging
The first question that customers ask when they come to Tesla stores is: “Where will I refuel?” — said the company’s vice president of communications, Ricardo Reyes. In the USA, this problem has been virtually completely resolved: a network of special charging stations covers the entire country.
Brand diversification
Like other major automakers - BMW, Porsche and Ferrari, Tesla releases fashion brand lineTesla Design Collection, which includes, for example, a bag for $300, leather driving gloves for $100, an iPhone case for $40 and other items of clothing and accessories.
Visibility of unprofitability
Although skeptics regularly accuse Tesla of having an ineffective business model, the company’s unprofitability is more likely a consequence of growing pains: at the current stage of development most proceeds are reinvested in development and production. In the future, the manufacturer should enter the mass market: after Model S and X, if force majeure does not occur, it will enter the market in 2017 budget model Model 3 costing $35,000.
Led by a visionary
One of the key factors in Tesla's success is the figure of Elon Musk. CEO of the company picked up the baton of the world's most disruptive entrepreneur from another iconic CEO— co-founder Steve's Apple Jobs. And Tesla took the crown of the most innovative company in the world according to Forbes.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced the release of new products at the SolarCity reporting meeting, which summed up financial results for the second quarter of 2016. The entrepreneur is on the company's board of directors, but his interest in this event is explained by the upcoming deal - at the end of July, Tesla made the final decision to acquire SolarCity for $2.6 billion. The deal has not yet been concluded, although Tesla shares fell by 10% after the announcement of the merger, and experts criticized Musk's decision.
The startup SolarCity is installing facilities and infrastructure for collecting solar energy. At the meeting, Musk emphasized that the company's next product will not be individual modules that are installed on the roof, but a finished coating - a solar roof. We are probably talking about a roof made of solar panels.
SolarCity CEO Lyndon Rive noted that the startup will release two products by the end of the year. By this time, the sale of the company will be finalized.
Rive also confirmed that the startup is preparing to release a roof covering. In his opinion, this will open up SolarCity new market. Every year, 5 million new roofs are installed in the United States. As Rive noted, many people are reluctant to invest in solar panels because the roof often needs to be replaced or updated. Ready offer will be perfect for those planning renovations, as they will have the opportunity to renew the roof and, at the same time, acquire a source of solar energy.
The authors of the SolarCity project, including Elon Musk, adhere to a simple concept. It is not necessary to make energy systems for the roofs of buildings, but to construct the roofs themselves from solar panels. For this purpose it was developed roofing tiles in a high-tech format building material. The panel samples presented last Friday imitate ceramic tiles, glass, French slate, textured and curved Tuscan tiles.
The solar panels will be manufactured in a 1 GW factory being built in Buffalo. The SolarCity plant will begin operations in the second quarter of 2017.
They are all opaque when viewed from below or from the side, so you won't know where the roof ends and the solar panel array begins.
As Musk stated, “This is the roof that has better insulation, than traditional construction, generates electricity and at the same time costs less than a roof, plus a solar panel.”
It is durable enough to withstand light impacts and the vagaries of the weather, which was demonstrated at the presentation. However, the head of Tesla did not announce the cost of the product and energy generation indicators.
Elon Musk demonstrated the ideal addition to such a roof: the second generation Powerwall battery complex from the same Tesla company. It holds 14 kWh of energy - the estimated daily requirement of a 4-room household equipped with typical electrical appliances. If you connect a battery to panels on the roof and build a house in a sunny region, in theory you have an endless source of energy.
Elon Musk, the head of Tesla, presented another revolutionary product that every family can use within a year or two. According to the portal politicallore.com, Elon Musk has created an innovative energy-saving product - a solar panel in the form of a tile. The roof decor element has become both functional and environmentally friendly.
Elon Musk presented roof tiles in the form of solar modules; this combination of benefit and beauty will help save on electricity. Previously, Musk and his companies (Tesla and SolarCity) have already developed PowerWall - solar panels for the home that can generate electricity around the clock, providing energy to the house. In the future, Musk intends to help people switch households from traditional energy sources to solar panels. He stated this:
“Our goal is to fundamentally change the way the world uses energy.”
Elon Musk and the Infinite Energy Project
Elon Musk has long been working on a line of inventions aimed at saving and reducing the cost of energy. The billionaire developed an electric car, created PowerWall batteries ( lithium ion battery, whose solar panel during the day produces excess energy that can be used at night), now it’s the turn of another type of solar battery - in the form of tiles. Such energy sources reduce the need for recharge from a centralized power grid, reducing the cost of energy.
Elon Musk is the largest shareholder in Tesla and SolarCity, the latter run by his cousins. Analysts note that SolarCity is unprofitable, so Musk should consider merging it with Tesla. The board of directors' vote is scheduled for November 17.
According to Elon Musk, solar tiles will not go on sale until the summer. next year, provided that the billionaire’s two companies successfully merge into one. “Having two separate companies slows down the production of a product, driving up its price. For shareholders this is not best option"Musk explained.
The cost of a roof covered with innovative tiles will be lower than usual. After all, the owner of the house remains at a daily advantage - there is a constant accumulation of energy for the needs of the house and even an electric car. The eccentric Elon Musk’s gaze is directed to the future, so the inventor does not intend to stop there: the sooner a new energy-saving product goes on sale, the faster shareholders and end users will appreciate the benefits and advantages of the innovation.
