Tesla is working on glass for Model 3, which can generate electricity

On November 1, Ilon Musk announced that the same glass technology would be used in Tesla Model 3 as in the recently announced roof tile that serves as solar panels. Musk says Tesla has a special group that deals with glass technology - Tesla Glass. This was announced during a conference call, which discussed the financial details of the merger of Tesla and SolarCity. The new division focuses on the development of technology for the Tesla Solar roof .


For the first time, Mask mentioned the practical use of the glass during a conversation with analysts when discussing how the “solar roof” differs from other similar products that failed in the same segment of renewable energy. As a distinctive feature, Musk mentioned a new glass, which is used by the company as one of the layers of eco-friendly tiles. He also confirmed that it was developed by the new Tesla technology group. In a promotional video, the company calls glass tile tiles as Tesla Glass.
')
"Solar roof" is a system of generating and storing electricity, which can be used at home instead of the usual coverage. On October 28, Musk presented roof tiles that work like a solar panel and are indistinguishable from standard roof tiles that are usually lined with roofs. It consists of several layers: the bottom one is the solar panel, the middle one is a color film imitating clay tile, stone or wood. All this is covered with an outer layer - tempered protective glass, which was discussed during a conversation with experts.



Not much is known about the features of the new glass. In his twitter, Mask said that heating elements could be included in the design of glass tiles. They can be used for a variety of things. For example, if such glass is installed in a car, in the winter it will not freeze and at the same time will continue to generate energy. Thus, Musk hints that the zone of application of the new glass is not limited to the “solar roof” alone.


The Tesla Glass division was formed at the very beginning of this year. It is located in Californian design studio in Hawthorne, where Tesla does all the design work and solves some high-level development tasks. At the head of the new division was the former Apple engineer Mike Piliod. His name appears in the long list of Apple patents, most of which are related to innovations in glass touchscreens and devices like the iPhone, where glass is widely used. At one time, he managed to work directly with Apple’s chief designer, Jonathan Ive. Helping Michael work will be Kate Cousin’s program manager.

More detailed information about the new technology of environmentally friendly glass, as well as the design of "solar roofs" Tesla has not yet revealed. However, it should be noted that Tesla likes to use glass in their cars in a much larger quantity than any other manufacturer. To see this, just look at the Model S with its panoramic roof or on the Model X with a panoramic windshield. Finally, Tesla offers a glass roof option in the Model 3.



There were various rumors about what the new division would be doing. For example, that the rich professional experience of Mike Pilod will find its use in designing Heads Up Display (HUD) - an interface with which you can display information directly on the windshield. In recent years, Tesla has been assembling a team of HUD experts. Among them was Milan Kovacs - the chief engineer of Autopilot Embedded Systems. Whether the HUD will be integrated with the windshield, as is used in some luxury cars, or it will be something completely different - you just have to guess. However, it is now known for certain that Pillod and his team will be engaged in the development of glass for “solar roofs” and Tesla Model 3.

Tesla Model 3 should see the light next year. This electric car should be more affordable than previous versions. Today, much of the budget model Tesla Motors is already known : the creators promise a completely new design compared to the Model S and Model X, an updated navigation system, an improved version of the “assistant driver» Autopilot 2.0. However, none of those 300 thousand people who have pre-ordered Tesla Model 3 will know to the last that they are buying a car, because developers can significantly change and refine the car’s design by the end of 2017. That's when Tesla plans to start shipping cars to customers.