LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29 (UPI) -- Tesla chief executive Elon Musk unveiled a new series of glass roof tiles with built-in solar panels in Los Angeles Friday night. The line of new solar paneled roofing, produced by solar power company SolarCity, is intended to become part of a personal alternative energy ecosystem made up of Tesla products including solar roofs, batteries and electric cars, the company said.
Musk showed off the new solar paneled roof tiles, which come in several styles including smooth, textured and tuscan, by fitting them to several houses on the set of former ABC television series Desperate Housewives at Universal Studios Hollywood, according to the Los Angeles Times
"The key is to make solar look good," he said. "We want you to call your neighbors over and say, 'Check out this sweet roof.'"
No price was given for the tiles, but Musk said they would be cheaper than fitting a traditional roof and then adding solar on top, according to the BBC.
A new version of Tesla's home battery product, the Powerwall 2, was also revealed at the launch event and will cost $5,500.
The Powerwall 2 is intended to store up to 14 kWh of surplus solar energy to provide energy to homes and Tesla vehicles when the sun is not shining.
The stylish tiles came as a result of Tesla's impending $2 billion acquisition of SolarCity. Shareholders from the two companies are scheduled to vote on the merger on Nov. 17 amid concerns the takeover is essentially a buyout of the struggling company.
Musk is SolarCity's chief technology officer as well as its largest share holder, while the company's chief executive, Lyndon Rive, is his cousin.
The solar panels are expected to begin rolling out by summer time, beginning with the United State's largest solar market in California.
Tesla posted a surprise profit in its last quarterly earnings for the firs time in three years and Rive said he expected SolarCity to see growth following the unveiling.
"I'm expecting to increase dramatically in Q4," he said.
Close up of the solar roof pic.twitter.com/kDsSqtTWK7 — Tesla (@TeslaMotors) October 29, 2016
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