Elon Musk claims Tesla’s solar roof will cost less than a regular roof

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says his company’s solar roof will cost less than a regular roof. And no, we’re not just talking about the long-term effects that come into play with producing your own energy via the roof. Musk says the upfront cost will be less, both when it comes to manufacturing and installing the roof. Musk was quoted in a Bloomberg report saying this after Tesla shareholders approve the acquisition of Solar City. He says electricity is now “just a bonus.”

But don’t expect these to be dirt cheap. These will still come at a premium price (which we don’t know yet). The terra cotta and slate roofs Tesla mimicked are considered among the most expensive roofing materials on the market—sometimes costing as much as 20 times more than cheap asphalt shingles. The cost savings though might be seen in the shipping of the materials. These new tempered-glass roof tiles are said to weigh as little as a fifth of current products and are easier to ship.

Elon Musk announces Oct. 28 release date for SolarCity solar roof

We’ll most likely be seeing for the first time Tesla and SolarCity’s new solar roof product on October 28, if Elon Musk’s tweet is anything to go by. The Tesla founder and CEO just announced on social media that this solar roof will be working with version 2.0 of Tesla’s PowerWall solar storage and battery for the home as well as with the Tesla car charger. This integration is seen as moving beyond showing off how these companies can seamlessly work together to showing Musk’s “Master Plan: Part Deux,” where he aims to create a fully self-sustaining solar-powered energy ecosystem that is linked to his zero emission goals between home and transportation.

Tesla is in the process of acquiring SolarCity but it has been facing opposition from shareholders that could cause a delay in the deal. The demo, which could show the value of the system and the partnership, might further Musk’s plans and help soften any opposition to his plans to join Tesla and SolarCity together.

Aiming for Oct 28 unveil in SF Bay Area of new Tesla/SolarCity solar roof with integrated Powerwall 2.0 battery and Tesla charger.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 22, 2016

Source: TechCrunch

Apple patents tech to build solar-powered, cell-enabled MacBooks

Diagram of how future MacBooks can absorb sunlight. (Source: Patently Apple)

Looks like Apple is looking to develop solar-powered MacBooks capable of taking your calls. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office recently released 31 new patents to Apple. Some of the patents include technologies on how to use solar power to charge a MacBook, how to receive and transmit cellular telephone signals, and create backside touch sensors that would allow you to interact with the laptop with the lid closed.

Solar-powered MacBook can be created with the use of a “smart glass” or electrochromic glass that changes light transmission properties according to voltage, meaning it controls the amount of light and heat it sends out. The patent describes top plate with solar cells that will be sandwiched between smart glass in the back and an LCD display in front. This means users can adjust the smart glass to let light transmit solar cells to charge the device.

Source: ReadWrite