Dive Brief:

• Tesla CEO Elon Musk was tweeting about his company's lineup of electric vehicles on Friday when he confirmed they are also preparing to take orders for "solar shingles," Tesla's roof-mounted solar panels that mimic the design of traditional shingles.
• The company is preparing to take orders in April, Musk said. Alternatively dubbed "solar shingles" and a "solar roof," the company says they will be cheaper and more durable than a traditional roof.
• In October of last year, Musk unveiled an integrated solar roof and battery storage product at an event in Los Angeles.

Dive Insight:

Tesla is preparing to roll out its solar roof product just six months after announcing the new systems. 

Unveiled last year, the 7 kW, 14 kWh battery system is priced at $5,500 and will integrate with Tesla's electric vehicle chargers. The new roof systems will integrate with the Powerwall 2.0 battery system.

There have been questions about the size of the market Tesla is trying to address, and the company is not without competition as well. But as the price of both panels and storage falls, the systems are becoming more affordable. Tesla has touted the new solar roofs as being cheaper than a traditional shingled-roof once the electricity costs are factored in.

Earlier this year, Tesla announced mass production of battery cells at its Nevada Gigafactory, including cells that will be used in Tesla’s Powerwall 2 and Powerpack 2. By next year, the Gigafactory plans to produce 35 GWh/year of lithium-ion battery cells. According to Tesla, that's almost as much as the rest of the entire world’s battery production combined.

Last year, shareholders approved Tesla Motors' $2.6 billion acquisition of SolarCity, which was key for the company's solar roof plan to move ahead.