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Making solar panels a Tesla work of art could be the change we need
In his Master Plan, Part Deux released last week, Elon Musk made one of his priorities “a smoothly integrated and beautiful solar-roof-with-battery product that just works.” We have heard a lot about solar panel efficiency over the years, but beauty? That hasn’t been a consideration. One solar panel looks very much like another solar panel — until now.
Wired writes in an article dated July 22, “For decades now, going solar has meant sticking what looks like a bunch of computer monitors to your roof.” Hardly the look that many consider ideal for their homes. “Some people will always celebrate the tech-y symbolism of a typical solar panel,” says Aaron Dorf, an architect at architecture and design firm Snøhetta.
Dorf thinks the solar panel “will eventually become a first generation relic, like an Atari or a car phone.” Looking to the near future, he believes things like installation cost and solar cell efficiency will cease to be limiting factors. “Musk is smart to directly target what may be the more significant threshold—beauty.”
We can’t know for certain what Elon intends but excellent design has always been an important component of everything he has done. As Tesla transforms itself into an energy company, we should expect the same level of commitment to beautiful design it is known for.
Others are engaged in designing the solar systems of the future. Sistine Solar makes innovative “Solarskin” panels which match the design of your existing roof. They are scheduled to go on sale next year. T.R. Ludwig, co-founder of Brooklyn Solarworks, says solar panels that can utilize sunlight striking both sides of its panels are more efficient and more attractive. “It’s an interesting aesthetic — more minimal, more sleek,” Ludwig says.
Solar panels are a great way of harvesting energy from the great “fusion reactor in the sky,” as Elon likes to call the sun. But not everyone is thrilled at the idea of solar panels on every rooftop. “When you start talking to a fire department about covering your building with solar panels, you get, ‘well, what happens if it burns? And what happens if my guys are underneath this, fighting a fire?” says Brian Lane, managing principal at Koning Eizenberg Architecture.
Energy storage creates other legal challenges. Because batteries are a potential fire risk, it is nearly impossible to get permits for them approved in cities like New York. There is also an issue with durability. The useful life of solar panels today is 20 to 25 years. Most roofs are intended to last 50 years.
Malay Mazumdar, a professor in electro-physics at Boston University, asks “If you integrate the roof with the solar panel…..should you change the entire roof?” If Tesla wants to design solar roofs that are stunning and smoothly integrated, they should also make them durable, or at least easy to replace, Wired says.
Another issue with solar panels is their orientation toward the sun. Not every roof is ideally suited for a solar installation. Some systems feature tracking systems that move the panels during the day to maximize exposure to the sun, but they add complexity and cost to the system.
No doubt Elon Musk has considered all these factors and has answers for each and every one of them. The one thing we can be sure of is that Elon will bring all of his creative powers to bear on the issue of solar power. If his commitment brings the same level of disruption to the electricity industry as it has to the automobile sector, he will further accelerate the changeover from fossil fuels to renewable energy that is at the heart of all his endeavors.
Source: Wired, Photo credit: Brooklyn SolarWorks
News
Tesla hosts Rome Mayor for first Italian FSD Supervised road demo
The event marked the first time an Italian mayor tested the advanced driver-assistance system in person in Rome’s urban streets.
Tesla definitely seems to be actively engaging European officials on FSD’s capabilities, with the company hosting Rome Mayor Roberto Gualtieri and Mobility Assessor Eugenio Patanè for a hands-on road demonstration.
The event marked the first time an Italian mayor tested the advanced driver-assistance system in person in Rome’s urban streets. This comes amid Tesla’s push for FSD’s EU regulatory approvals in the coming year.
Rome officials experience FSD Supervised
Tesla conducted the demo using a Model 3 equipped with Full Self-Driving (Supervised), tackling typical Roman traffic including complex intersections, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings and mixed users like cars, bikes and scooters.
The system showcased AI-based assisted driving, prioritizing safety while maintaining flow. FSD also handled overtakes and lane decisions, though with constant driver supervision.
Investor Andrea Stroppa detailed the event on X, noting the system’s potential to reduce severe collision risks by up to seven times compared to traditional driving, based on Tesla’s data from billions of global fleet miles. The session highlighted FSD’s role as an assistance tool in its Supervised form, not a replacement, with the driver fully responsible at all times.
Path to European rollout
Tesla has logged over 1 million kilometers of testing across 17 European countries, including Italy, to refine FSD for local conditions. The fact that Rome officials personally tested FSD Supervised bodes well for the program’s approval, as it suggests that key individuals are closely watching Tesla’s efforts and innovations.
Assessor Patanè also highlighted the administration’s interest in technologies that boost road safety and urban travel quality, viewing them as aids for both private and public transport while respecting rules.
Replies on X urged involving Italy’s Transport Ministry to speed approvals, with one user noting, “Great idea to involve the mayor! It would be necessary to involve components of the Ministry of Transport and the government as soon as possible: it’s they who can accelerate the approval of FSD in Italy.”
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Tesla FSD (Supervised) blows away French journalist after test ride
Cadot described FSD as “mind-blowing,” both for the safety of the vehicle’s driving and the “humanity” of its driving behaviors.
Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (Supervised) seems to be making waves in Europe, with French tech journalist Julien Cadot recently sharing a positive first-hand experience from a supervised test drive in France.
Cadot, who tested the system for Numerama after eight years of anticipation since early Autopilot trials, described FSD as “mind-blowing,” both for the safety of the vehicle’s driving and the “humanity” of its driving behaviors.
Julien Cadot’s FSD test in France
Cadot announced his upcoming test on X, writing in French: “I’m going to test Tesla’s FSD for Numerama in France. 8 years I’ve been waiting to relive the sensations of our very first contact with the unbridled Autopilot of the 2016s.” He followed up shortly after with an initial reaction, writing: “I don’t want to spoil too much because as media we were allowed to film everything and I have a huge video coming… But: it’s mind-blowing! Both for safety and for the ‘humanity’ of the choices.”
His later posts detailed FSD’s specific maneuvers that he found particularly compelling. These include the vehicle safely overtaking a delivery truck by inches, something Cadot said he personally would avoid to protect his rims, but FSD handled flawlessly. He also praised FSD’s cyclist overtakes, as the system always maintained the required 1.5-meter distance by encroaching on the opposite lane when clear. Ultimately, Cadot noted FSD’s decision-making prioritized safety and advancement, which is pretty remarkable.
FSD’s ‘human’ edge over Autopilot
When asked if FSD felt light-years ahead of standard Autopilot, Cadot replied: “It’s incomparable, it’s not the same language.” He elaborated on scenarios like bypassing a parked delivery truck across a solid white line, where FSD assessed safety and proceeded just as a human driver might, rather than halting indefinitely. This “humanity” impressed Cadot the most, as it allowed FSD to fluidly navigate real-world chaos like urban Paris traffic.
Tesla is currently hard at work pushing for the rollout of FSD to several European countries. Recent reports have revealed that Tesla has received approval to operate 19 FSD test vehicles on Spain’s roads, though this number could increase as the program develops. As per the Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT), Tesla would be able to operate its FSD fleet on any national route across Spain. Recent job openings also hint at Tesla starting FSD tests in Austria. Apart from this, the company is also holding FSD demonstrations in Germany, France, and Italy.
Tesla Optimus showed off its newest capability as progress on the project continues to accelerate toward an ultimate goal of mass production in the coming years.
Tesla is still developing Optimus and preparing for the first stages of mass production, where units would be sold and shipped to customers. CEO Elon Musk has always marketed the humanoid robot as the biggest product in history, even outside of Tesla, but of all time.
He believes it will eliminate the need to manually perform monotonous tasks, like cleaning, mowing the lawn, and folding laundry.
However, lately, Musk has revealed even bigger plans for Optimus, including the ability to relieve humans of work entirely within the next 20 years.
JUST IN: Elon Musk says working will be ‘optional’ in less than 20 years because of AI and robotics. pic.twitter.com/l3S5kl5HBB
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) November 30, 2025
Development at Tesla’s Artificial Intelligence and Robotics teams has progressed, and a new video was shown of the robot taking a light jog with what appeared to be some pretty natural form:
Just set a new PR in the lab pic.twitter.com/8kJ2om7uV7
— Tesla Optimus (@Tesla_Optimus) December 2, 2025
Optimus has also made several public appearances lately, including one at the Neural Information Processing Systems, or NeurIPS Conference. Some spectators shared videos of Optimus’s charging rig, as well as its movements and capabilities, most interestingly, the hand:
You have to hand it to Elon 🤟 pic.twitter.com/fZKDlmGAbe
— Ric Burton · NeurIPS 2025 (@_ricburton) December 2, 2025
The hand, forearm, and fingers have been one of the most evident challenges for Tesla in recent times, especially as it continues to work on its 3rd Generation iteration of Optimus.
Musk said during the Q3 Earnings Call:
“I don’t want to downplay the difficulty, but it’s an incredibly difficult thing, especially to create a hand that is as dexterous and capable as the human hand, which is incredible. The human hand is an incredible thing. The more you study the human hand, the more incredible you realize it is, and why you need four fingers and a thumb, why the fingers have certain degrees of freedom, why the various muscles are of different strengths, and fingers are of different lengths. It turns out that those are all there for a reason.”
The interesting part of the Optimus program so far is the fact that Tesla has made a lot of progress with other portions of the project, like movement, for example, which appears to have come a long way.
However, without a functional hand and fingers, Optimus could be rendered relatively useless, so it is evident that it has to figure this crucial part out first.
Tesla hosts Rome Mayor for first Italian FSD Supervised road demo
Tesla FSD (Supervised) blows away French journalist after test ride
