Tesla to Unveil Solar Roof for Its Vehicles Next Month (TSLA, SCTY)
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Tesla to Unveil Solar Roof for Its Vehicles Next Month (TSLA, SCTY)
By Rakesh Sharma | September 23, 2016 — 8:35 PM EDT
Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) will unveil a new solar roof with an integrated Powerwall battery and Tesla charger for the company’s cars at an October 28 event in San Francisco, according to a tweet by the company’s CEO Elon Musk. The unveiling will provide the first proof of benefits, that Musk says can be accrued, due to a merger between Tesla and SolarCity Corp (SCTY).
In his revised Master plan released in July, Musk said the merger’s end goal was to “create a smoothly integrated and beautiful solar roof with battery product that just works, empowering the individual as their own utility, and then scale that throughout the world.” Ostensibly, Tesla cars are the first such integrated product. (For more, see also: Elon Musk Unveils Tesla's New ‘Master Plan’.)
Musk’s presentation next month will be closely watched by observers and analysts. Tesla’s merger with SolarCity has already come in for intense criticism from investors and the media. Most recently, noted investor Jim Chanos called the merger “uneconomic” and predicted bankruptcy for Tesla as a result of it. (For more, see also: Short Seller Chanos Warns Tesla Could Go Bankrupt.)
To be sure, Tesla is the not the first car to have solar roofs. That distinction belongs to Mazda’s 929 Sedan, which offered optional solar cell panels for roofs back in 1992. More recently, Toyota Motor Corp offered a similar option for its hybrid Prius model in 2008.
In the same year, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) assessed the performance of solar panel roofs on cars. Their verdict was not enthusiastic. According to them, solar panel car roofs were constrained by limited surface area (which generated limited energy). This, in turn, limited their capacity to generate enough solar energy to power the vehicle over substantial distances.
But things have changed since then. Toyota’s 2017 Prius Prime will come equipped with a solar panel to supplement the battery pack. The car is already available in Europe and Japan and will be introduced in the United States next year. According to Koji Toyoshima, Toyota’s chief engineer for the Prius Plug-in, the solar panel improves car efficiency by 10%.
Read more: Tesla to Unveil Solar Roof for Its Vehicles Next Month (TSLA, SCTY) | Investopedia Tesla to Unveil Solar Roof for Its Vehicles Next Month (TSLA, SCTY)
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I am copying it here because it will likely get deleted soon.
Tesla to Unveil Solar Roof for Its Vehicles Next Month (TSLA, SCTY)
By Rakesh Sharma | September 23, 2016 — 8:35 PM EDT
Tesla Motors Inc. (TSLA) will unveil a new solar roof with an integrated Powerwall battery and Tesla charger for the company’s cars at an October 28 event in San Francisco, according to a tweet by the company’s CEO Elon Musk. The unveiling will provide the first proof of benefits, that Musk says can be accrued, due to a merger between Tesla and SolarCity Corp (SCTY).
In his revised Master plan released in July, Musk said the merger’s end goal was to “create a smoothly integrated and beautiful solar roof with battery product that just works, empowering the individual as their own utility, and then scale that throughout the world.” Ostensibly, Tesla cars are the first such integrated product. (For more, see also: Elon Musk Unveils Tesla's New ‘Master Plan’.)
Musk’s presentation next month will be closely watched by observers and analysts. Tesla’s merger with SolarCity has already come in for intense criticism from investors and the media. Most recently, noted investor Jim Chanos called the merger “uneconomic” and predicted bankruptcy for Tesla as a result of it. (For more, see also: Short Seller Chanos Warns Tesla Could Go Bankrupt.)
To be sure, Tesla is the not the first car to have solar roofs. That distinction belongs to Mazda’s 929 Sedan, which offered optional solar cell panels for roofs back in 1992. More recently, Toyota Motor Corp offered a similar option for its hybrid Prius model in 2008.
In the same year, researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) assessed the performance of solar panel roofs on cars. Their verdict was not enthusiastic. According to them, solar panel car roofs were constrained by limited surface area (which generated limited energy). This, in turn, limited their capacity to generate enough solar energy to power the vehicle over substantial distances.
But things have changed since then. Toyota’s 2017 Prius Prime will come equipped with a solar panel to supplement the battery pack. The car is already available in Europe and Japan and will be introduced in the United States next year. According to Koji Toyoshima, Toyota’s chief engineer for the Prius Plug-in, the solar panel improves car efficiency by 10%.
Read more: Tesla to Unveil Solar Roof for Its Vehicles Next Month (TSLA, SCTY) | Investopedia Tesla to Unveil Solar Roof for Its Vehicles Next Month (TSLA, SCTY)
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