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Tesla to install canopies for a 'solar test house' at its Fremont factory

Tesla Solar Roof (Source: Tesla)

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6 years ago

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Tesla has plans for the installation of new tent-like canopies for a “solar test house” at its factory, according to a new building permit issued by the City of Fremont.

Per the description noted in the initial filing, Tesla is seeking “two canopy covers over solar test house” that measure approximately 60′ x 80′ & 60′ x 70′. The structures will be temporary and removed after two months.

While there’s no indication on the purpose for the canopies, CNBC indicates that the canopies are meant to conceal research and development on its solar test house from prying eyes, and protect the project from potential delays due to rains.

Seeing progress in the efforts of Tesla to install more Solarglass rooftops brings it another step closer to mass producing the third version of the solar roof tiles. Likewise, such developments can help Tesla capitalize on California’s new building requirements that require newly-built homes to have solar systems starting next year. The state is the first in the country to require solar panel installations on single-family homes and multi-family structures.

Tesla building permit for a solar test house canopy (Source: Fremont Development Service Center)

Based on the 2019 Building Energy Standards in California, the solar requirement increases the cost of building a new home by roughly $9,500 but has the potential to save homeowners about $19,000 in energy bills and maintenance costs over 30 years. The Energy Commission estimates that an average home will save around $80 on cooling, heating, and lighting bills.  Customers such as Amanda Tobler from the Bay Area echo the possibility that these numbers can be achieved. The Toblers had their Solar Roof tiles installed in March 2018 and enjoys more than enough power for their house and two plug-in vehicles as a result.

Tesla also recently posted job openings that aim to beef up its installation teams in California, Florida, Nevada, and Texas. The company looks to hire licensed electricians, Solarglass roofers, installers to join its operations who will most likely not install just its solar tiles but also help to put up Powerwalls and regular solar panels.

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As the energy company installs more Solarglass rooftops, it will also create more jobs to fill the needs of its facility in Buffalo, New York and possibly save the company $41.2 million in penalties. Tesla promised to produce its solar panels in the said facility, which used $750 million in taxpayers’ money and the deal requires it to generate around 1,500 jobs by April next year.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he sees the company’s energy business to grow as big as its electric vehicle business. In Q3, Tesla deployed 43MW of solar or 48 percent more compared to the previous quarter.

“…the really crazy growth for as far into the future as I can imagine. … It would be difficult to overstate the degree to which Tesla Energy is going to be a major part of Tesla’s activity in the future,” he said during with Wall Street analysts.

Tesla started accepting orders for its V3 Solar Roof in October and Musk revealed that it plans to eventually install 1,000 solar roofs a week.  Interested homeowners who want a Solarglass rooftop can use the company’s online configurator to estimate the costs. The estimated pricing for a 2,000 sq. ft. roof with 10kW solar is $33,950 after a federal tax credit of $8,550.

As of 2018, there are only 15 to 20 percent of California single-family houses with solar panels installed according to the estimates of the California Building Industry Association.

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“Worthy of respect:” Six-seat Model Y L acknowledged by Tesla China’s biggest rivals

Tesla China’s biggest competitors seem to be welcoming the impending arrival of the upcoming six-seater.

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46 minutes ago

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July 17, 2025

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Credit: Tesla Asia/X

Tesla’s upcoming launch of the Model Y L in China has drawn praise from the CEOs of rival automakers Nio and Li Auto. While the upcoming extended all-electric crossover has the potential to make a huge impact in the domestic Chinese auto market, some of Tesla China’s biggest competitors seem to be welcoming the impending arrival of the upcoming six-seater.

NIO and Li Auto CEO react

Nio founder, chairman, and CEO William Li responded to Tesla’s announcement on Weibo, stating that with improvements in charging, battery swap infrastructure, and continued innovation in technology and product design, the era of large-space electrified SUVs has fully arrived. He referenced Nio’s sub-brand Onvo and its new L90 SUV as a product born from this shift in the market and encouraged the industry to “power up together,” as noted in a report from CNEV Post.

Li Auto CEO Li Xiang also weighed in, calling the Model Y L a “six-seat pure electric SUV worthy of respect.” He also suggested that consumers interested in vehicles priced between RMB 200,000 and RMB 300,000 should keep an eye on it. He also mentioned his company’s upcoming Li i6, a five-seat all-electric SUV that’s expected to debut in September, as a strong option for buyers not seeking third row seats.

New Model Y L

Tesla confirmed on its official Weibo account that the Model Y L will officially launch in China this fall. The vehicle appeared in China’s MIIT regulatory catalog, which revealed that the Model Y L will feature a longer body and extended wheelbase designed to accommodate its new three-row layout. 

The Model Y L measures 4,976 mm in length with a wheelbase of 3,040 mm, compared to the standard five-seat Model Y’s 4,797 mm length and 2,890 mm wheelbase. While Tesla has yet to announce official pricing, industry reports suggest it could be positioned around RMB 400,000. It remains to be seen if the Model Y L will also be produced in the United States and Germany. 

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Elon Musk reveals SpaceX’s target for Starship’s 10th launch

Elon Musk has revealed SpaceX’s target timeline for the next Starship launch, which will be the tenth in program history.

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13 hours ago

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July 16, 2025

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Credit: SpaceX

Elon Musk has revealed SpaceX’s target timeline for the next Starship launch, which will be the tenth in program history.

Musk says SpaceX is aiming for a timeline of roughly three weeks from now, which would come about ten weeks after the previous launch.

Coincidentally, it would bring the two launches 69 days apart, and if you know anything about Elon Musk, that would be an ideal timeline between two launches.

SpaceX is coming off a test flight in which it lost both the Super Heavy Booster and the Upper Stage in the previous launch. The Super Heavy Booster was lost six minutes and sixteen seconds into the flight, while SpaceX lost communication with the Ship at 46 minutes and 48 seconds.

Musk is aiming for the tenth test flight to take place in early August, he revealed on X:

This will be SpaceX’s fourth test flight of the Starship program in 2025, with each of the previous three flights bringing varying results.

IFT-7 in January brought SpaceX its second successful catch of the Super Heavy Booster in the chopstick arms of the launch tower. The ship was lost after exploding during its ascent over the Turks and Caicos Islands.

IFT-8 was on March 6, and SpaceX caught the booster once again, but the Upper Stage was once again lost.

The most recent flight, IFT-9, took place on May 27 and featured the first reused Super Heavy Booster. However, both the Booster and Upper Stage were lost.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hit SpaceX with a mishap investigation for Flight 9 on May 30.

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Elon Musk confirms Tesla is already rolling out a new feature for in-car Grok

Tesla is already making in-car Grok more robust with a simple but effective feature that CEO Elon Musk says is “coming.”

Published

20 hours ago

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July 16, 2025

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has confirmed that the company will roll out a new feature for in-car Grok as it is rolling out to vehicles for the first time.

Grok was just recently added as a feature to Tesla vehicles within the past week, but owners are already requesting some small changes to make it more convenient to use.

Tesla debuts hands-free Grok AI with update 2025.26: What you need to know

The first is already on the way, Musk confirmed, as WholeMarsBlog requested a simple, but useful feature for Grok as it is used within Tesla vehicles.

Whole Mars requested that “Hey Grok” be used as a wake word, automatically activating the AI assistant without having to touch any buttons. Musk confirmed it is already in development and on the way to vehicles:

This feature is incredibly similar to that of “Hey Siri” with iPhones and other iOS devices. The phone will recognize your voice and hear that prompt, automatically activating Siri. Apple’s assistant will then perform whatever task it is asked to perform. It’s a simple but effective performance feature.

Grok is already getting its first reviews from owners as it rolls out to owners for the first time. It is a long time coming, too. Tesla has been hinting that Grok would be enabled in the vehicles for a while now, and it just started its initial rollout last week.

Grok is available in vehicles with the AMD chip and requires Premium Connectivity or a WiFi connection to use.

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