search
cart
facebook twitter linkedin youtube instagram Spotify Podcasts Apple Podcasts Spotify Podcasts Apple Podcasts
  • Sign In
  • Create Account
  • Sign Out
  • My Account
  • NEWS
  • TOPICS
    • Cool Roofing
    • Event News
    • Latinos in Roofing
    • Low Slope
    • Legal
    • Metal
    • Project Profiles
    • Roofing Supply Pro
    • Roofing Safety
    • Steep Slope
    • Sustainable Roofing
    • Technology
  • EXCLUSIVES
    • Best of Success
    • Contractor Profile
    • IRE Show
    • Roofing Contractor of the Year
      • Enter Roofing Contractor of the Year
    • Top 100
      • Enter the Top 100
    • Young Guns
    • State of the Industry
  • MULTIMEDIA
    • Videos
    • Podcasts
    • Interactive Spotlights
    • Roofing Quizzes
    • IRE Videos
    • Webinars
    • Photo Galleries
  • PRODUCTS
    • New Products
    • Featured Products
  • COLUMNS
    • Editor's Note
    • Exit Planning
    • Guest Column
  • EVENTS
    • International Roofing Expo
    • Webinars
    • Best of Success Conference
    • Industry Events
  • DIRECTORY
    • Associations
    • Distributors
    • Manufacturer/Supplier
    • Business Services
    • Get Listed
  • MORE
    • Roofing Contractor Newsletters
    • Techos y Más Advisory Board
    • RC Store
    • Roofing Supply Pro
    • Custom Content & Marketing Services
    • Market Research
    • Sponsor Insights
    • Company Spotlights
    • Classifieds
      • Auctions
      • Business For Sale
      • Business Opportunities
      • Equipment For Sale
      • Positions Available
      • Products
      • Safety
      • Software
      • Services
      • Training
    • Contact Us
  • EMAGAZINE
    • eMagazine
    • Advertise
      • Editorial Calendar
      • Contact
    • Archive Issues
  • SIGN UP!
Low Slope RoofingRoofing NewsSteep Slope RoofingSustainable RoofingRoofing Technology

Tesla CEO Claims ‘Significant Mistakes’ Made with Solar Roof

By Chris Gray
Tesla-Solar-Roof_2

Photo courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

April 28, 2021

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company made “significant mistakes” with its Solar Roof product that is resulting in large price increases for customers.

In the company’s Q1 2021 earnings call on Monday, Musk said demand for the Solar Roof product remains strong despite recent price changes, but the company is struggling to keep up with that demand.

“Production has gone fine, but we are choked at the installation point,” Musk said. “We did find that we basically made some significant mistakes in assessing the difficulty of certain roofs, but the complexity of roofs varies dramatically.”

These complexities, he said, range from roofs with multiple protuberances to the core roof not being strong enough to hold the Solar Roof, creating what outlets like Electrek reported as a Tesla’s new “complexity factor.” Musk explained that due to these complexities, the cost for the roof can be two or three times what Tesla initially quoted. Electrek reported that some homeowners are facing tens of thousands more dollars.

Musk said customers who aren’t happy with the price hikes can have their deposits refunded. The company is also starting to offer free Powerwalls to those customers. Powerwall is Tesla’s rechargeable home battery designed to store solar energy for self-consumption, during outages or off-the-grid use.

Last week, Musk announced via Twitter that Tesla’s Solar Roof and solar panels will only be sold as an integrated product with Powerwall.

“The difficulty of the installation will be much easier because power from the Solarglass Roof or the panels will only ever go directly into the Powerwall, and the Powerwall will only ever go between the utility and the main power panel of the house,” he said. “Effectively, almost every house therefore looks the same electrically instead of being a unique work of art … this is extremely important for scalability.”

He added that the Powerwall, combined with solar products, would allow homes to help utility companies stabilize the overall grid and mitigate issues like what recently happened in Texas when winter storms caused massive outages.

“By having a battery storage paired with solar and wind, this gives the long-term solution to a stable energy future,” he said.

The call wasn’t all glum news for Tesla’s solar products. The company deployed 92 megawatts of solar in the first quarter, a 163% increase when compared to the same time last year. In Q4 2020, Tesla deployed 86 megawatts.

Tesla first introduced the Solar Roof in 2016, though it hasn’t been a smooth road for the company. Pre-orders were accepted in 2017, though Tesla hit snags testing the longevity of the roof, updating its design until releasing Version 3 in 2019. Most recently, due to the pandemic, solar deployment declined in the second quarter of 2020. In June 2020, the company canceled Solar Roof orders with certain customers because their homes weren’t in an area covered by Tesla.

The Tesla Solar Roof uses glass tiles embedded with solar cells to provide power to a home, serving as a replacement for more traditional solar panel systems. The company has been ramping up efforts to hire installers around the country as well as posting for positions in Canada.

KEYWORDS: installation quarterly report solar roofing Tesla

Share This Story

Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!

Chrisgray

Chris Gray is the former editor of Roofing Contractor and Roofing Supply Pro. He has worked in the fields of journalism and copywriting for nearly 20 years, ranging from local print newspapers to the multi-media promotion of international artists.

Reach him at 248-244-6498 or grayc@bnpmedia.com.

Recommended Content

JOIN TODAY
to unlock your recommendations.

Already have an account? Sign In

  • A discussion panel of roofing contractors

    5 Growth Strategies for Roofing Contractors in 2026

    Three high-performing Owens Corning Roofing Platinum...
    Columns
  • A home with a roof

    2026 State of the Roofing Industry Report

    Despite economic turbulence, shifting regulations,...
    State of the Industry
    By: Art Aisner and Chris Gray
  • two-roofers-in-harnesses-on-tile-roof

    How AI Is (and Isn’t) Impacting Roofing Jobs

    A new study from Microsoft shows artificial intelligence...
    Roofing News
    By: Chris Gray
You must login or register in order to post a comment.

Report Abusive Comment

Manage My Account
  • eMagazine Subscription
  • Sign Up for the Newsletter
  • Online Registration
  • Manage My Preferences
  • Subscription Customer Service

More Videos

Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content is a special paid section where industry companies provide high quality, objective, non-commercial content around topics of interest to the Roofing Contractor audience. All Sponsored Content is supplied by the advertising company and any opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and not necessarily reflect the views of Roofing Contractor or its parent company, BNP Media. Interested in participating in our Sponsored Content section? Contact your local rep!

close
  • Female standing in home kitchen doing accounting work from home calculates company financial statement, use calculator fill data results on laptop application, housewife manage family budget
    Sponsored byWatercress Financial

    Paying for a New Roof: What Homeowners Consider and What Contractors Should Know

  • A construction worker surrounded by so much data
    Sponsored byEpicor Software

    Supply Chain Optimization: Overcoming Challenges in the Building Supply Industry

  • Cover-Board-Spray Application
    Sponsored byH.B. Fuller

    Unlock the Power of Spray-Applied Canister Adhesives: Proven Tips for Safer, Faster, Smarter Application

Popular Stories

Police Line

Roofer Killed in Rooftop Fall in Mobile, Alabama

QXO logo and New York Stock Exchange

QXO to Acquire Kodiak for $2.25 Billion

AI handshake

Making Moves: How Mega Mergers are Redefining Roofing Distribution

Events

March 31, 2026

The Number One Reason Roofers Lose Money on Insurance Jobs and How to Fix It

Insurance supplementing is one of the biggest profit leaks on insurance jobs, costing contractors time, money, and control. In this session, we’ll discuss how proper training and process alignment can help teams manage supplementing more effectively keeping key decisions in-house and profits where they belong.

April 23, 2026

Homeowners Survey: A Roofing Customer’s Journey in 2026

Join the experts as they break down the data on another set of questions aimed at gaining insights into the rapidly changing home roofing and restoration market. Roofing contractors can use this data and insight to better understand what factors influence a homeowner's contractor selection process. 

View All Submit An Event

Related Articles

  • Walmart-Tesla-lawsuit-solar-roof-panel

    Walmart Lawsuit Claims Tesla’s Solar Roof Panels Caused Fires at Stores

    See More
  • solar roofing

    Tesla's New Solar Roof System Won't Mark the End of Shingles

    See More
  • tesla-logo

    Tesla Announces International Expansion, New Jobs for Solar Roof

    See More

Related Products

See More Products
  • business.png

    How to Succeed With Your Own Construction Business

  • 007145828X.jpeg

    Manual of Low-Slope Roof Systems Fourth Edition

  • Green Roof Systems: A Guide to the Planning, Design and Construction of Building Over Structure

See More Products
×

Be in the forefront of the roofing industry!

Join thousands of professionals today. Shouldn’t you know what they know?

JOIN NOW!
  • RESOURCES
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Directories
    • Store
    • Want More
  • SIGN UP TODAY
    • Create Account
    • eMagazine
    • Newsletters
    • Customer Service
    • Manage Preferences
  • SERVICES
    • Marketing Services
    • Reprints
    • Market Research
    • List Rental
    • Survey/Respondent Access
  • STAY CONNECTED
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • X
  • PRIVACY
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • TERMS & CONDITIONS
    • DO NOT SELL MY PERSONAL INFORMATION
    • PRIVACY REQUEST
    • ACCESSIBILITY

Copyright ©2026. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing