Tesla seems to have substantially increased the price of its Solar Roof tiles. The company has received severe backlash from customers who have responded by canceling the order. The new price was seen in an update to its configurator and quote estimates, as reported by Electrek.
The price jump could be due to the company’s soaring revenue from its solar business. During Q4 2020, Tesla installed 86 megawatts (MW) of solar energy, a 59 percent increase year-over-year. As for the entire year, the installation increased by 18 percent year-over-year compared to 2019.
The increased pricing came after the company unveiled version 3 of its Solar Roof tiles that significantly lowered the price, thanks to optimization and a swift installation process. Tesla refined the product and changed its estimated cost a couple of times, decreasing its price again last summer. However, now the company has changed course and surged the price of the Solar Rook tiles.
A customer told The Verge, he signed a contract for the Solar Roof installation in February for $35,000, with an additional $30,000 for batteries. However, he later received an email from Tesla stating that he would receive a new contract with increased prices. He was later informed that he owes $75,000 for the solar roof and $35,000 for the batteries. The customer was also provided with an option to cancel the order if he chose not to accept the new pricing policy.
Tesla’s email read:
We have increased the price of Solar Roof and have added adjustments for individual roof complexity.
You will receive an email in the next 1-2 days when your new agreement is ready for your review and acceptance before moving forward. If you are no longer interested in moving forward with Solar Roof, you can cancel your order by logging into your Tesla Account and your deposit will automatically be refunded.
We will be prioritizing customers based on the order in which they accept their updated agreements.
Tesla has witnessed a significant increase in solar roof installations in 2021, as it has hired more roofers and selling the solar roof via more third-party firms.
