Elon Musk Makes Surprising Claim About New Tesla Solar Roof

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says his company's new solar roof will actually cost less for homeowners to install than a regular roof, Bloomberg reports. “So the basic proposition will be: Would you like a roof that looks better than a normal roof, lasts twice as long, costs less and—by the way—generates electricity?” Musk says. “Why would you get anything else?” According to Business Insider, Musk made the surprising pronouncement after 85% of Tesla shareholders approved a $2 billion merger with solar-energy specialist SolarCity on Thursday. Musk wants solar roofs to be "as appealing as electric cars," Fortune reports.

Musk first unveiled Tesla's new solar shingles last month but didn't specify a cost. They're made of tempered glass and specially designed solar film and, according to Bloomberg, are "virtually indistinguishable from high-end roofing products." And therein lies the catch: When Musk says they'll cost less than a traditional roof, he's talking about the fancy terra cotta and slate roofs on which they were modeled, not asphalt roofs, which can be 20 times cheaper. Still, Bloomberg states the Tesla solar roof "could be a real turning point in the evolution of solar power." (More Tesla stories.)