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Which style of Tesla’s Solar Roof tile is right for you?
With the explicit goal of making solar panels as appealing as electric cars have become, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has unveiled the company’s newest product: solar roof tiles manufactured with durable, long lasting tempered-glass. The slogan, “Power from above, beauty from the street” captured the product and theme of the unveiling, which took place at Universal Studios in Los Angeles with the sun ready to set in the background.
The new roofs will be a collaboration between SolarCity and Tesla and can be combined with Tesla’s Powerwall 2 home battery. The tiles are hydrographically printed. Musk explained that this process that makes each one a “special snowflake.”
Throughout the product unveiling, Musk emphasized that these solar tiles, which will be integrated into the roof and invisible when viewed from the street, offer a much more attractive option as compared with currently-used solar technology. The tiles will be soon available to the public in four distinct styles. Each is architecturally significant to a home’s core design. Four distinct tile styles reinforce the importance of connecting an architectural past to the Tesla vision of a sustainable future. The “beautiful, affordable, and seamlessly integrated” glass tiles have significant historic origins and contemporary appeal.
Tuscan Glass Tile
This roof, sometimes called Italian Renaissance style, is an element of a home integrated with its setting. Consistent with Musk’s vision of sustainable solutions to a “mine-and-burn” hydrocarbon economy, landscape architecture and gardens balance Tuscan house design. The roof structure is a combination of side gable, cross gable, combined hip and gable, or hipped configuration, often with projecting wings and deep roof overhangs and eaves. The style borrows details from the entire history of Spanish architecture, with architectural elements of paired French doors, classic arches, and some use of wrought iron.
Slate Glass Tile
The most desirable roofing material for more than 1,000 years, slate has been acclaimed for its elegance and unique character. It required a craft person’s expertise and skill in hand shaping and laying it on the roof. The Tesla version likely will resemble thin tiles split into uniform thicknesses. Slate’s aesthetic appearance is due to a wide variety of rich colors and textures that are combined in nearly endless combinations. Found on virtually every class of structure, slate roofs are perhaps most often associated with institutional, ecclesiastical, and government buildings, yet slate was often used on farm and agricultural buildings as well.
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- Credit: Tesla
Textured Glass Tile
Textured roofing tiles were used in Neolithic China as early as 10.000 B.C. and 5000 years ago in Babylon. By the end of the nineteenth century, as the use of glazed roofing tiles grew, textured tiles became among the most ornamental and distinctive roofing materials. Now featured on many historic buildings, their aesthetic qualities include many shapes, colors, patterns, and textures. Architecturally, a field of textured tiles often covers the majority of a roof’s flat surface, with decorative tiles used along the peak of the roof. In more ornamental installations, the field of tiles may have areas of patterning created by tiles of different shapes, dimensions, or color variations ranging from deep browns to pale pinks to buff or beige. Their interesting appearance has often made textured tile roofs prominent stylistic features of historic structures.
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- Credit: Tesla
Smooth Glass Tile
Flat smooth tile offers clean lines that compliment a contemporary design with unassuming, no-frills elegance. It contains a straightforward, stripped-down geometry and a means of securing an organic bond between old, existing architecture and new buildings. This is particularly important in optically sensitive areas where contemporary architecture accentuates an important visual impression. All parts of the resultant ensemble stem from a single smooth tile source, which appears as if it grew up over the centuries. Smooth glass tiles can contribute to an eclectic conglomeration of heritage-listed façades and modern stylistic elements. Optically robust, these tiles now provide an interplay of nuances that was once typical of hand-crafted products.
Tying Architecture and Aesthetics to Energy Power Solutions
The Tesla solar roof tiles offer high efficiency solar power which will produce energy even during high temperature days. Color louver film allows cells to blend into the roof while exposing them to the sun above. With tempered glass, the material is extremely impact resistant. The solar integrates with Tesla home batteries to collect energy during the day for use in the evening once the sun goes down. Musk tweeted that “solar glass tiles can also incorporate heating elements, like rear defroster on a car, to clear roof of snow and keep generating energy.”
Tesla expects to start installing the solar roofs next summer. More durable than normal roofing tiles, the solar roofs can be tied to the updated Powerwall 2 home battery (14 kWh, $5500) which the company also showcased at the unveiling event.
The announcement of this solar innovation implies that the Tesla/ SolarCity merger will receive upcoming shareholder votes and approval.
If you’re considering solar for your home or business, we encourage you to get a solar cost estimate first, based on your monthly utility bill and location. The service is being provided by an affiliate partner and fan to Teslarati.
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Tesla expands Unsupervised Robotaxi service to two new cities
This expansion builds directly on Tesla’s existing operations. Robotaxi has been ramping unsupervised rides in Austin for months and maintains activity in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Tesla has taken a major step forward in its autonomous ride-hailing ambitions.
On April 18, the company’s official Robotaxi account announced that Robotaxi service is now rolling out in Dallas and Houston, Texas. The update signals the rapid scaling of unsupervised autonomous operations in the Lone Star State.
The announcement includes a compelling 14-second video captured from inside a Model Y. Shot from the passenger perspective, the footage shows the vehicle navigating suburban roads in both cities with zero driver intervention, with no Safety Monitor to be seen.
Robotaxi now rolling out in Dallas & Houston 🤠 pic.twitter.com/G3KFQwqGxB
— Tesla Robotaxi (@robotaxi) April 18, 2026
Tesla also shared geofence maps highlighting the initial service areas: a compact zone in Houston covering parts of Willowbrook and Jersey Village, and a similarly defined area in Dallas near Highland Park and central neighborhoods.
🚨 Tesla has expanded Robotaxi to two new cities: Houston and Dallas, joining Austin and the SF Bay Area as active Robotaxi areas https://t.co/S3Ck4EaGpR pic.twitter.com/N0qu0bcTyd
— TESLARATI (@Teslarati) April 18, 2026
This expansion builds directly on Tesla’s existing operations. Robotaxi has been ramping unsupervised rides in Austin for months and maintains activity in the San Francisco Bay Area.
With Dallas and Houston now live, Texas hosts three active hubs—an impressive concentration that triples the company’s Lone Star footprint in just weeks. The move aligns with Tesla’s Q4 2025 earnings guidance, which outlined a broader H1 2026 rollout across seven U.S. cities, including Phoenix, Miami, Orlando, Tampa, and Las Vegas.
Texas offers favorable regulations, high ride-share demand, and relatively straightforward suburban-to-urban driving patterns ideal for early autonomous scaling. While initial geofences appear modest—roughly 25 square miles per city—Tesla has historically expanded these zones quickly as it gathers real-world data.
Tesla confirms Robotaxi expansion plans with new cities and aggressive timeline
Unsupervised operation marks a critical milestone: passengers can summon, ride, and exit without safety drivers, a leap beyond many competitors still requiring human oversight.
For Tesla, the implications are significant. Successful scaling in major metros could accelerate the transition to a fully driverless fleet, unlocking new revenue streams and validating years of Full Self-Driving investment.
Riders gain convenient, potentially lower-cost mobility, while the company edges closer to Elon Musk’s vision of Robotaxis transforming urban transport.
As Tesla pushes into more cities this year, today’s launch in Dallas and Houston underscores its momentum. Hopefully, Tesla will be able to expand unsupervised rides to another U.S. state soon, which will mark yet another chapter in this short-but-encouraging Robotaxi story.
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Tesla is pushing Robotaxi features to owner cars with Spring Update
Tesla has quietly begun rolling out one of its most forward-looking Robotaxi-inspired features to existing customer vehicles.
Tesla is starting to push Robotaxi features to owner cars, and the first instances are coming as the Spring 2026 Update starts to roll out.
Tesla has quietly begun rolling out one of its most forward-looking Robotaxi-inspired features to existing customer vehicles.
With the 2026 Spring Update (version 2026.14+), the rear passenger display now features a fully interactive navigation map that works while the car is driving — a capability previously reserved for Tesla Robotaxi.
First look at Tesla’s v2026.14.1 Spring Update.
🧭Rear screen interactive map #teslaupdate #tesla #teslasrpingupdate pic.twitter.com/yH3T4U8qHp— Sergiu Mogan (@sergiumogan) April 17, 2026
Until now, Tesla’s rear displays have been largely limited to media controls, climate settings, and static route overviews. The new interactive map transforms the backseat into an active navigation hub, exactly the kind of passenger-first interface Tesla has been prototyping for its driverless fleet.
In a Robotaxi, where no one sits behind the wheel, every rider will need intuitive, real-time map access. By shipping this UI into thousands of owner cars months ahead of the Cybercab’s planned unveiling, Tesla is stress-testing the software in real-world conditions and giving loyal customers an early taste of the autonomous future.
The rollout is still in its early wave. Only a small number of vehicles have received 2026.14.1 so far, but the feature is expected to expand rapidly in the coming weeks. Owners of Model S, Model X, Model 3, Model Y, and Cybertruck are all eligible.
For buyers of the new Signature Edition Model S and X Plaid vehicles — whose deliveries begin in May — the update will likely arrive shortly after they take delivery, meaning the final chapter of Tesla’s flagship lineup will ship with cutting-edge Robotaxi preview tech baked in.
Elon Musk has long emphasized that Tesla ships supporting infrastructure well before new products launch. This rear-map rollout is a textbook example of that philosophy — quietly preparing both the software and the customer base for a world of fully driverless rides.
While the interactive map may seem like a modest convenience upgrade on the surface, its deeper purpose is unmistakable. Tesla is using its massive installed base of vehicles as a proving ground for the exact passenger experience that will define the Robotaxi era.
For current owners, it’s a free preview of tomorrow’s mobility; for the company, it’s invaluable data and real-world validation before the Cybercab hits the streets.
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Tesla Cybertruck sales bolstered by bold Musk move, report claims
If accurate, that means nearly one in every five Cybertrucks registered in the quarter was transferred internally within Musk’s business empire. The purchases, valued at more than $100 million, have continued into 2026.
A new report from Bloomberg claims Tesla Cybertruck sales were inflated by internal buyers, meaning companies owned by CEO Elon Musk, and most notably, SpaceX.
According to a new registration data analysis, a significant portion of the fourth quarter’s Cybertruck sales came from Musk companies.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, 7,071 Cybertrucks were registered in the United States. SpaceX, Musk’s rocket and satellite company, accounted for 1,279 of those vehicles—more than 18 percent of the total. Musk’s additional ventures, including xAI, the Boring Company, and Neuralink, acquired another 60 trucks during the same period.
Tesla Cybertruck just won a rare and elusive crash safety honor
If accurate, that means nearly one in every five Cybertrucks registered in the quarter was transferred internally within Musk’s business empire. The purchases, valued at more than $100 million, have continued into 2026.
These internal sales supplemented the Cybertruck’s overall performance for the quarter, as without them, sales would have plunged 51 percent. The vehicle, which has repeatedly been called “the best product Tesla has ever made,” has fallen short of expectations due to pricing.
When first unveiled back in 2019, Tesla had a $39,990, $49,990, and $69,990 configuration for sale. Those prices inflated significantly as the truck was not released to customers until 2023. Those who had placed orders for affordable configurations were priced out.
Sam Fiorani, VP of Global Vehicle Forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, said, “Tesla is running out of buyers for the Cybertruck.” In reality, there are probably a lot of buyers, but they simply cannot afford the truck at its current price point.
The Cybertruck was supposed to broaden Tesla’s appeal beyond its core lineup of sleek sedans and SUVs. While it has done a lot for brand notoriety, it has not lived up to its monumental expectations, and it’s simply because the truck has not been as available as most had thought.
The truck is still the best-selling electric pickup in the country, outpacing rivals like the Ford F-150 Lightning and Chevrolet Silverado EV. It is also not uncommon for companies to use their own vehicles for internal operations, like Ford using its own Transit van for Mobile Service.
However, this much inventory of Cybertrucks being purchased by Musk’s companies is not what you love to see as a fan or investor.
Tesla expands Unsupervised Robotaxi service to two new cities
Tesla is pushing Robotaxi features to owner cars with Spring Update
