Tesla has rolled out new solar panel options by providing four new sizes and new pricing points.
Tesla has made several modifications to its solar panel program in 2020, with the most recent appearing in mid-June. The sustainable energy company rolled out a new program over the summer that included new, higher-powered solar panel systems at more affordable pricing.
Now, Tesla has made further revisions to the program, adding four new sizing options that are more versatile and allow for a more customized fit to any sized home.
Credit: Tesla
In June, Tesla offered four new sizes for its solar systems that had more efficiency and lower pricing.
- Small – 4.08 kW – $10,000, $7,400 after incentives
- Produces 11-15 kWh daily
- Medium – 8.16 kW – $16,000, $11,840 after incentives
- Produces 23-29 kWh daily
- Large – 12.24 kW – $23,500, $17,390 after incentives
- Produces 33.44 kWh daily
- X-Large – 16.32 kW – $30,000, $22,200 after incentives
- Produces 45-58 kWh daily
Tesla has added four new systems that are not labeled with typical “sizing” descriptions. Now, they are labeled with their power capacity in kW. The pricing options listed below apply to California customers and vary in other states. New sizes are indicated with bold lettering.
- 4.08 kW – $8,200, $6,396 after incentives
- Produces 16-21 kWh daily
- 6.12 kW – $12,300, $9,594 after incentives
- Produces 23-31 kWh daily
- 8.16 kW – $16,400, $12,792 after incentives
- Produces 31-42 kWh daily
- 10.2 kW – $20,500, $15,990 after incentives
- Produces 39-52 kWh daily
- 12.24 kW – $24,600, $19,188 after incentives
- Produces 27-63 kWh daily
- 14.28 kW – $28,800, $22,386 after incentives
- Produces 55-73 kWh daily
- 16.32 kW – $32,800, $25,584 after incentives
- Produces 63-84 kWh daily
- 18.36 kW – $36,900, $28,782 after incentives
- Produces 70-94 kWh daily
The new, more well-rounded options provide a fit that will cater to more households. The previous options were sufficient enough, but as Tesla’s solar deployment continues to grow, the company may have needed to adapt by providing more sizing options moving forward.
Tesla’s Q3 Earnings Update letter detailed the company’s skyrocketing demand for solar panels. Energy storage deployments reach a record 759 MWh in Q3, and Powerwall demand is continuing to grow. With Solar Panels, Tesla cited that its low-cost systems are “starting to have an impact.” Total solar deployments continued to grow and more than doubled in Q3 thanks to Tesla’s Solar Roof and Solar Panels.
The main reason for Tesla’s continuing demand growth in its solar energy deployments comes down to pricing. Tesla Solar is 30% less expensive than the U.S. average, thanks to its focus on reducing soft costs. This included eliminating wages for sales representatives and allowing customers to buy their own solar packages online. Additionally, soft costs, which are non-component costs of the system, can attribute to higher pricing when systems are being ordered. Instead of having permits, inspections, and salespeople to pay, Tesla did away with these and slashed costs significantly.
Now that more sizing options are available, customers can get a solar panel outfitting from Tesla that is catered to the size of their home instead of buying a system that is more than big enough. This will reduce the possibility of a homeowner having to buy a system that is too big for their home and will save the customer money.
Of course, Tesla Solar can also be loaned for as little as $47 a month, and customers can also use the Subscription option, which runs as low as $65 a month.
Energy
Tesla meets Giga New York’s Buffalo job target amid political pressures
Giga New York reported more than 3,460 statewide jobs at the end of 2025, meeting the benchmark tied to its dollar-a-year lease.
Tesla has surpassed its job commitments at Giga New York in Buffalo, easing pressure from lawmakers who threatened the company with fines, subsidy clawbacks, and dealership license revocations last year.
The company reported more than 3,460 statewide jobs at the end of 2025, meeting the benchmark tied to its dollar-a-year lease at the state-built facility.
As per an employment report reviewed by local media, Tesla employed 2,399 full-time workers at Gigafactory New York and 1,060 additional employees across the state at the end of 2025. Part-time roles pushed the total headcount of Tesla’s New York staff above the 3,460-job target.
The gains stemmed in part from a new Long Island service center, a Buffalo warehouse, and additional showrooms in White Plains and Staten Island. Tesla also said it has invested $350 million in supercomputing infrastructure at the site and has begun manufacturing solar panels.
Empire State Development CEO Hope Knight said the agency was “very happy” with Giga New York’s progress, as noted in a WXXI report. The current lease runs through 2029, and negotiations over updated terms have included potential adjustments to job requirements and future rent payments.
Some lawmakers remain skeptical, however. Assemblymember Pat Burke questioned whether the reported job figures have been fully verified. State Sen. Patricia Fahy has also continued to sponsor legislation that would revoke Tesla’s company-owned dealership licenses in New York. John Kaehny of Reinvent Albany has argued that the project has not delivered the manufacturing impact originally promised as well.
Knight, for her part, maintained that Empire State Development has been making the best of a difficult situation.
“(Empire State Development) has tried to make the best of a very difficult situation. There hasn’t been another use that has come forward that would replace this one, and so to the extent that we’re in this place, the fact that 2,000 families at (Giga New York) are being supported through the activity of this employer. It’s the best that we can have happen,” the CEO noted.
Energy
Tesla launches Cybertruck vehicle-to-grid program in Texas
The initiative was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Tesla has launched a vehicle-to-grid (V2G) program in Texas, allowing eligible Cybertruck owners to send energy back to the grid during high-demand events and receive compensation on their utility bills.
The initiative, dubbed Powershare Grid Support, was announced by the official Tesla Energy account on social media platform X.
Texas’ Cybertruck V2G program
In its post on X, Tesla Energy confirmed that vehicle-to-grid functionality is “coming soon,” starting with select Texas markets. Under the new Powershare Grid Support program, owners of the Cybertruck equipped with Powershare home backup hardware can opt in through the Tesla app and participate in short-notice grid stress events.
During these events, the Cybertruck automatically discharges excess energy back to the grid, supporting local utilities such as CenterPoint Energy and Oncor. In return, participants receive compensation in the form of bill credits. Tesla noted that the program is currently invitation-only as part of an early adopter rollout.
The launch builds on the Cybertruck’s existing Powershare capability, which allows the vehicle to provide up to 11.5 kW of power for home backup. Tesla added that the program is expected to expand to California next, with eligibility tied to utilities such as PG&E, SCE, and SDG&E.
Powershare Grid Support
To participate in Texas, Cybertruck owners must live in areas served by CenterPoint Energy or Oncor, have Powershare equipment installed, enroll in the Tesla Electric Drive plan, and opt in through the Tesla app. Once enrolled, vehicles would be able to contribute power during high-demand events, helping stabilize the grid.
Tesla noted that events may occur with little notice, so participants are encouraged to keep their Cybertrucks plugged in when at home and to manage their discharge limits based on personal needs. Compensation varies depending on the electricity plan, similar to how Powerwall owners in some regions have earned substantial credits by participating in Virtual Power Plant (VPP) programs.
Tesla is updating Cybertruck owners on its timeline of a massive feature that has yet to ship: Powershare with Powerwall.
Powershare is a bidirectional charging feature exclusive to Cybertruck, which allows the vehicle’s battery to act as a portable power source for homes, appliances, tools, other EVs, and more. It was announced in late 2023 as part of Tesla’s push into vehicle-to-everything energy sharing, and acting as a giant portable charger is the main advantage, as it can provide backup power during outages.
Cybertruck’s Powershare system supports both vehicle-to-load (V2L) and vehicle-to-home (V2H), making it flexible and well-rounded for a variety of applications.
However, even though the feature was promised with Cybertruck, it has yet to be shipped to vehicles. Tesla communicated with owners through email recently regarding Powershare with Powerwall, which essentially has the pickup act as an extended battery.
Powerwall discharge would be prioritized before tapping into the truck’s larger pack.
However, Tesla is still working on getting the feature out to owners, an email said:
“We’re writing to let you know that the Powershare with Powerwall feature is still in development and is now scheduled for release in mid-2026.
This new release date gives us additional time to design and test this feature, ensuring its ability to communicate and optimize energy sharing between your vehicle and many configurations and generations of Powerwall. We are also using this time to develop additional Powershare features that will help us continue to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
Owners have expressed some real disappointment in Tesla’s continuous delays in releasing the feature, as it was expected to be released by late 2024, but now has been pushed back several times to mid-2026, according to the email.
Foundation Series Cybertruck buyers paid extra, expecting the feature to be rolled out with their vehicle upon pickup.
Cybertruck’s Lead Engineer, Wes Morrill, even commented on the holdup:
As a Cybertruck owner who also has Powerwall, I empathize with the disappointed comments.
To their credit, the team has delivered powershare functionality to Cybertruck customers who otherwise have no backup with development of the powershare gateway. As well as those with solar…
— Wes (@wmorrill3) December 12, 2025
He said that “it turned out to be much harder than anticipated to make powershare work seamlessly with existing Powerwalls through existing wall connectors. Two grid-forming devices need to negotiate who will form and who will follow, depending on the state of charge of each, and they need to do this without a network and through multiple generations of hardware, and test and validate this process through rigorous certifications to ensure grid safety.”
It’s nice to see the transparency, but it is justified for some Cybertruck owners to feel like they’ve been bait-and-switched.
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