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Does anyone understand how the warranty works? From their solar panel page[0], it says that there is a 30 year warranty for Power and Weatherization and a lifet

Does anyone understand how the warranty works? From their solar panel page[0], it says that there is a 30 year warranty for Power and Weatherization and a lifetime warranty. So, what does the lifetime cover? The only thing that can go wrong is that either the power module fails or the tile is damaged due to weather, which is both covered by the 30 year warranty. Nevertheless, a 30 year warranty is still pretty impressive and even more so if it covers normal wear and tear from weather. [0]: https://www.tesla.com/solarroof?redirect=no https://www.tesla.com/solarroof?redirect=no

greglindahl 9y ago
The tiles are proof against weather: if you saw the reveal video they dropped a heavy object on a tile without damaging it. Given that, offering a warranty against weather damage is basically free to Tesla, modulo manufacturing defects.
- vkou 9y ago
  And unless you live in a forest, or in tornado alley, having an anti-weather warranty for your roof is worthless. Most roof problems are caused by mistakes in installation, not because the tiles don't last as long as they are expected to.
timdellinger 9y ago
A 30 year power warranty is mighty brave seeing as how they've got essentially 0 years of data to base their projections on.
awkwardtortoise 9y ago
> Nevertheless, a 30 year warranty is still pretty impressive and even more so if it covers normal wear and tear from weather. If Tesla is around in 30 years. Remember that Tesla was going to go bankrupt 9 years ago before government bailout. And warranties can become worthless when companies go bankrupt.
- Matt3o12_ 9y ago
  You know that this was not a bailout, it was a loan, which was paid back 9 years early and with interest. I do not believe this load was the only way for Tesla to survive (I'm sure Elon Musk would have found other ways). It is out of question, though, that this loan was a big help for Tesla
raggi 9y ago
I think the weatherization is under the tiles. I'm not sure what they'll be doing, but I imagine there will be forms of some kind under the tiles to cope with wiring concerns and alignment, and there will be weather protection underneath those forms. Some of the weather sealing will fail, same as the tar/sheeting does on conventional roofing. The tiles should still be good, so the main cost after 30y should be labor to re-seat and re-seal, and the optional replacement of any failed solar tiles.

greglindahl 9y ago

The tiles are proof against weather: if you saw the reveal video they dropped a heavy object on a tile without damaging it. Given that, offering a warranty against weather damage is basically free to Tesla, modulo manufacturing defects.

vkou 9y ago
And unless you live in a forest, or in tornado alley, having an anti-weather warranty for your roof is worthless. Most roof problems are caused by mistakes in installation, not because the tiles don't last as long as they are expected to.

timdellinger 9y ago

A 30 year power warranty is mighty brave seeing as how they've got essentially 0 years of data to base their projections on.

awkwardtortoise 9y ago

> Nevertheless, a 30 year warranty is still pretty impressive and even more so if it covers normal wear and tear from weather. If Tesla is around in 30 years. Remember that Tesla was going to go bankrupt 9 years ago before government bailout. And warranties can become worthless when companies go bankrupt.

Matt3o12_ 9y ago
You know that this was not a bailout, it was a loan, which was paid back 9 years early and with interest. I do not believe this load was the only way for Tesla to survive (I'm sure Elon Musk would have found other ways). It is out of question, though, that this loan was a big help for Tesla

raggi 9y ago

I think the weatherization is under the tiles. I'm not sure what they'll be doing, but I imagine there will be forms of some kind under the tiles to cope with wiring concerns and alignment, and there will be weather protection underneath those forms. Some of the weather sealing will fail, same as the tar/sheeting does on conventional roofing. The tiles should still be good, so the main cost after 30y should be labor to re-seat and re-seal, and the optional replacement of any failed solar tiles.