Looks matter<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s easy to dismiss the aesthetic import of how Tesla\u2019s tiles look, but it\u2019s actually important, and a real consideration for homeowners looking to build new homes or revamp their existing ones. The appearance of the tiles, which come in four distinct flavors (Textured Glass, Slate Glass, Tuscan Glass and Smooth Glass) is going to be a core consideration for prospective buyers, especially those at the top end of the addressable market with the disposable income available to do everything they can to ensure their home looks as good as it possibly can.<\/p>\n
As with other kinds of technologies that are looking to make the leap from outlier oddity to mainstream mainstay, solar has a hurdle to leap in terms of customer perception. Existing solar designs, and even so-called attempts to make them more consistent with traditional offerings like the above-mentioned Dow Chemical project, leave a lot to be desired in terms of creating something that can be broadly described as good-looking.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s like the VR headset \u2014 Oculus and Google can make claims about their use of fabric making their headsets more approachable, but both are still just options somewhere along the curve of things with niche appeal. Neither is very likely to strike a truly broad audience of users as acceptable, and neither are solar panels that don\u2019t succeed in completely disguising themselves as such.<\/p>\n Tesla has been referred to as the Apple of the automotive world by more than a few analysts and members of the media, and if there\u2019s one thing Apple does well, it\u2019s capitalize on the so-called \u201chalo effect.\u201d This is the phenomenon whereby customers of one of its lines of business are likely to become customers of some of the others; iPhone buyers tend to often go on to own a Mac, for instance.<\/p>\n For Tesla, this represents an opportunity to jump-start its home solar business (which it\u2019ll take on in earnest provided its planned acquisition of SolarCity goes through) through the knock-on effects of its brisk Tesla EV sales, including the tremendous pre-order interest for the Model 3. It\u2019s strange to think of halo effects with big-ticket items, including vehicles and home energy systems, but Tesla\u2019s fan base shares a lot of characteristics with Apple\u2019s, and because they\u2019re already purchasing at the level of an entire automobile, the frame of reference for what constitutes a valid halo purchase is actually appropriate.<\/p>\n Tesla, like Apple, scores well with customer satisfaction and brand commitment, and that\u2019s something that no one trying to sell a solar home energy system at scale can match. As strange as it sounds, \u201cbuying a roof because you like your car\u201d might be the new \u201cbuying a computer because you like your phone.\u201d<\/p>\n Tesla\u2019s solar tiles claim to be able to power a standard home, and provide spare power via the new Powerwall 2 battery in case of inclement weather or other outages. Musk says that the overall cost will still be less than installing a regular old roof and paying the electric company for power from conventional sources. But Musk\u2019s claims about the new benefits of the new solutions don\u2019t end there.<\/p>\n Tesla\u2019s tiles will actually be more resilient than traditional roofing materials, including terra-cotta, clay and slate tiles. That\u2019s because of the toughness of the glass used in their construction, according to Musk, who demonstrated the results of heavy impact from above, using a kettlebell as you can see in the video below.<\/p>\n![\"0cf27641-f7f1-4ead-a8af-030e742088c9\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rsoftsolution.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/8afd4_0cf27641-f7f1-4ead-a8af-030e742088c9.jpg?resize=640%2C480\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHalo effects<\/h2>\n
![\"tesla-powerwall\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rsoftsolution.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/8afd4_tesla-powerwall.jpg?resize=640%2C480\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBenefits beyond basic solar<\/h2>\n
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![\"tesla-home-vertical\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.rsoftsolution.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/RSSPoster_PRO\/cache\/50ce5_tesla-home-vertical.jpg?resize=352%2C469\")
<\/a>The announcement of Tesla\u2019s solar tiles does not guarantee a sweeping solar power revolution; far from it, since Tesla says it won\u2019t start installing the product in any consumer homes until next year, and a lot can happen between now and then. But Musk also said with full confidence that he ultimately expects the Powerwall to outsell Tesla cars, and easily so.<\/p>\n