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  • Take a look at the roofs of these four houses.

  • Can you spot which one is covered in solar?

  • That's actually a trick question, because they all are.

  • Tesla's first ever solar product is stunning It's not a solar panelinstead it's a range of four solar roofing materials that look virtually indistinguishable from high-end terracotta, slate, or slick modern asphalt shingles.

  • Here's how it works: the top of the roof tiles is made of textured glass.

  • It looks like shingles from most angles, but it allows sunlight to pass through from above and into a standard solar cell with almost no loss in efficiency.

  • Tesla says the glass is as tough as steel, and can weather a lifetime of abuse from the elements.

  • It can also be fitted with heating elements to melt off snow in colder climates.

  • Active solar tiles will cost about about $42 per square foot -- cheaper than traditional shingles with solar panels on top.

  • But ultimately you'll probably need more tiles to do the same job so Tesla's total roof cost will be a bit higher.

  • You want to call your neighbors over and say check out the sweet roof--it's not a phrase you hear often.

  • This represents the grand unification of Tesla's plans to become a sun-to-vehicle energy company.

  • The idea is that you can run your home on solar power, store it in a slim battery that hangs on your wall, and use that electricity to power your home and car.

  • This combination is perhaps the closest we've ever come to affordable off-grid electricity.

  • the goal is to make solar roofs that look better than a normal roof, generate electricity, last longer, have better insulation and actually have an installed cost that is less than a normal roof plus the price of electricity.

  • Why would you have anything else?

  • The solar roof was Musk's closing argument to shareholders before their vote to approve Tesla's $2.2 billion bid to buy the biggest U.S. rooftop solar installer, SolarCity, to make it all possible.

  • There's plenty of reason for skepticism, but if Musk can pull it off, this trifecta of Tesla products: the solar roof, the Powerwall 2, and the Model 3 electric car will be available in Tesla stores across the U.S. by the end of 2017

Take a look at the roofs of these four houses.

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