Check out this ultimate Tesla house with solar roof, Powerwalls, and more
Today, we are featuring one of, if not the most insane, Tesla house projects. It features virtually all of Tesla’s home energy products.
Lately, Tesla has been increasingly relying on third-party installers to deploy its home energy products.
Instead of managing the installation, Tesla is gradually becoming more of a supplier with its goal of owning the home energy ecosystem through products like the Powerwall.
This is going to allow Tesla to focus on manufacturing and scale with the goal of supporting its new ‘Tesla Electric‘ electricity retailing product.
One of those third-party installers is Good Faith Energy based in Texas. They have been doing some of the most impressive Tesla Solar Roof installations we have seen.
We reported on them last year after they showed how one of their Tesla Solar Roof installations fared against a hailstorm with baseball-size hailstones.
Now we are featuring one of their latest projects in Katy, Texas where they helped builder William David Homes build the ultimate Tesla house.
Good Faith Energy installed an impressive 11,000 sq-ft Tesla Solar Roof with a capacity of 30 kW.
As you can see, it’s a big house, but not the entire roof needs to be equipped with solar tiles producing electricity.
Tesla supplies both solar and non-solar tiles for its solar roof installations, and the solar tiles are installed to optimize the house’s electricity production based on orientation and shade.
Here’s the particular solar tile configuration for this project:
Each Tesla solar tile is about 45in by 14in and is rated at 72w. They give more flexibility than the usual solar panel. Jim Abercrombie, Director of Roofing Operations at Good Faith Energy, says that five tiles, which adds up to 360w, cover about the same square footage of most 360w solar panels.
But to be the ultimate Tesla house, you can’t only have a Tesla Solar Roof.
This project has virtually all of Tesla’s energy products, and a lot of them.
It is also equipped with 5 Tesla Powerwalls – providing up to 67.5 kWh of backup power.
The house is also equipped with 3 of Tesla’s 7.6 kW solar inverters – the company’s most recent solar product looking to compete with industry leaders, like Enphase and Solar Edge.
The Tesla solar tiles also give the house a very unique look:
Now as for what everyone wants to know about: the price.
It has become harder to get pricing on Tesla’s Solar Roof. The company doesn’t provide online estimates anymore. Pricing varies greatly depending on roof complexity.
I asked Good Faith Energy about it and Mohammed Abdalla, CEO of Good Faith Energy, said:
“The price of the Tesla Solar Roof varies quite dramatically based on a variety of factors including: Size of the roof, complexity of the roof, amount of PV or producing tiles, and the number of batteries. A roof with 4 planes can come in much lower in price than a similar sized house that is covered with ridges, valleys, turrets, and odd and complex shapes. In 2022, on average, our Tesla Solar Roof pricing came in between $35-$50/sqft, before the federal solar tax credit (assuming you qualify). This is about the cost of a luxury roof like slate or tile, plus the cost of a solar system added in. It isn’t just a roof, and it isn’t just a solar system. It is the only roof that looks this good, and can cover your electricity bill forever.”
Based on the $35-$50/sqft estimate and the 11,000 sqft of this project, we can estimate between $385,000 and $550,000.
That sounds like a lot, but again, it needs to be compared with other luxury roof options, like slates and tiles, and the cost of an equivalent 30 kW solar power system. This can’t be compared to a roof made of asphalt shingles.
We are also talking about multi-million dollar new build here.
What do you think of this ultimate Tesla house? Let us know in the comment section below.
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Environment
Tesla hires celebrity ambassador despite Elon Musk saying they don’t pay for endorsements
Tesla has hired a celebrity ambassador, a departure from Elon Musk’s policy of not paying for celebrity endorsements.
Musk has often bragged about the fact that Tesla doesn’t pay for celebrity endorsements in contrast to other automakers who hire celebrity brand ambassadors to promote their cars.
Much like advertising, Musk seems to be abandoning this strategy.
Tesla announced that it hired Olympic shooter Kim Ye-ji, whose performance at the Paris Olympics this summer went viral, to be the automaker’s brand ambassador in Korea.
Kim said about her new partnership with Tesla:
I’m very excited to work with Tesla, who have recognized me. I hope to convey a positive message together with Tesla.”
Here are a few pictures released to announce her new partnership with Tesla:
Kim’s agency said that her relationship with Tesla started from CEO Elon Musk tweeting about her viral performance at the Olympics:
“The relationship between Kim Ye-ji and Tesla developed after Elon Musk mentioned her. The company said that Kim is Tesla Korea’s first brand ambassador.”
She is not only Tesla Korea’s first ambassador, but she is the first known paid celebrity ambassador for Tesla globally.
The policy change is not entirely surprising since the policy of Musk not paying celebrities to endorse Tesla’s products was often attached to the automaker’s strategy not to advertise.
Musk went as far as to say that he “hates advertising,” and Tesla started advertising last year.
The change in strategy coincidently, or not, came after Musk bought Twitter, a company relying on advertising, and Tesla even started to advertise on Twitter, now called X.
Tesla sales in Korea haven’t been amazing, but the country’s auto market greatly favors domestic brands. The American automaker does fairly well for a foreign brand with the Model Y becoming the best-selling imported vehicle in Korea during the first half of 2024.
Although, it amounted to just over 10,000 units.
Electrek’s Take
It’s a change of strategy, and Elon certainly can’t claim that Tesla doesn’t pay for celebrities to endorse its products, but it is probably a smart move due to the fact that Koreans prefer domestic brands.
Kim could help create a deeper level of attachment to the Tesla brand, but I don’t really know. I’m just speculating.
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Kia just broke its October sales record as its impressive US sales run continues. After another record-breaking month, Kia said the growth is fueled by “strong demand” for its electric vehicles.
Kia sets new October sales record in the US
Kia sold 69,908 vehicles in the US last month, up 16% from its previous October sales record in 2023.
According to Kia, higher demand for its electric models is charging up sales in the US. Kia’s electrified sales (EVs, PHEVs, and HEVs) reached its highest ever in October.
All-electric vehicles (EVs) led the way, with sales surging 70% year-over-year (YOY). Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and hybrid (HEV) sales were up 65% and 49%, respectively, from October 2023.
Kia’s first dedicated electric model, the EV6, set a new October sales record with 1,941 units sold. Through the first ten months of 2024, Kia has now sold over 17,700 EV6 models in the US. Meanwhile, its first three-row electric SUV, the EV9, continues to defy expectations.
With another 1,941 models sold last month, Kia EV9 sales reached 17,911 through October. That’s even more than the EV6 despite costing +$12,000 more.
Kia’s first US-made EV9 rolled out of its West Point, GA plant this summer. Although the EV9 is expected to qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit next year, Kia is matching it for now through incentives.
Next year, we will also finally see the EV9 GT, which Kia promises will have “enormous power.” Ahead of its official debut, we got our first look at the sporty electric SUV with an active spoiler last month.
| 2025 Kia EV9 Trim | Starting Price* |
| Light Standard Range | $54,900 |
| Light Long Range | $59,900 |
| Wind | $63,900 |
| Land | $69,900 |
| GT-Line | $73,900 |
Earlier this month, we learned that the 2025 EV9 will start at $54,900 (not including the destination fee), which is only $700 more than the 2024 model.
With prices dropping to potentially under $50,000, Kia’s three-row electric SUV is a steal. If you’re ready to experience the EV9 for yourself, we can help you get started. You can use our links below to view deals on Kia’s electric vehicles in your area.
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The outcome of the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5 won’t affect oil production levels in the short- to medium term, Exxon CEO Darren Woods told CNBC on Friday.
Former President Donald Trump has called for unconstrained oil and gas production to lower energy prices and fight inflation, boiling his energy policy down to three words on the campaign trail: “Drill, baby, drill.”
“I’m not sure how drill, baby, drill translates into policy,” Woods told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Friday after the largest U.S. oil and gas company reported third-quarter results.
Woods said U.S. shale production does not face constraints from “external restrictions.” The U.S. has produced record amounts of oil and gas during the Biden administration.
Over the past six years, the U.S. has produced more crude oil than any other nation in history, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, according to the Energy Information Administration.
Output in the U.S. is driven by the oil and gas industry deploying technology and investment to generate shareholder returns based on the break-even cost of production, the CEO said.
“Certainly we wouldn’t see a change based on a political change but more on an economic environment,” Woods said. “I don’t think there’s anybody out there that’s developing a business strategy to respond to a political agenda,” he said.
While shale production has not faced constraints on developing new acreage, there are resources in areas like the Gulf of Mexico that have not opened up due to federal permitting, the CEO said.
“That could, for the longer term, open up potential sources of supply,” Wood said. In the short- to medium term, however, unconventional shale resources are available and it’s just a matter of developing them based on market dynamics, he said.
Exxon Mobil shares in 2024.
The vast majority of shale resources in the U.S. are on private land and regulated at the state level, according to an August note from Morgan Stanley. About 25% of oil and 10% of natural gas is produced on federal land and waters subject to permitting, according to Morgan Stanley.
Vice President Kamala Harris opposed fracking during her bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination. She has since reversed that position in an effort to shore up support in the crucial swing state of Pennsylvania, where the natural gas industry is important for the state’s economy.
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