[oliwarner]

> They thought it would work

That's the problem though. Thinking your product will get by on looks when it's clearly outcompeted on performance, price, availability and longevity. That's not just optimism, it's delusion.

[cheschire]

Pretty sure this didn’t help either though:

> Customer service complaints are pervasive and consistent. Tesla Energy has a 2.6 out of 5 rating on SolarReviews

[pathartl]

Yeah, there's some tubers out there that have absolutely scathing reviews for their customer ervice.

[panick21_]

I don't think it was clear that it would be out compete on price or performance. If you compare roof + solor to solar roof, the idea was that eventually it would compete with doing both separately.

I'm also not sure if its actually worse on longevity.

[oliwarner]

It seems fairly clear if you consider a 50-100 year roof (ours is 150 years, and it's only had membrane changes in that time) against a 25 year roof.

I'm sure the steel shingle will last a fair time but if the PV elements need replacing four times a century, that's not a non-trivial cost.

When my PV panels die, it's just £400 a panel, four hex bolts and some quick connectors to replace it. It's no contest.

[HighGoldstein]

> That's the problem though. Thinking your product will get by on looks when it's clearly outcompeted on performance, price, availability and longevity. That's not just optimism, it's delusion.

May I present to you the Apple corporation, at least until recently.