More Free Advertising For Tesla From The BBC
By Paul Homewood
h/t CheshireRed
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37809151
I notice that the BBC is still giving free advertising to Tesla!
Roof tiles with built-in solar panels have been unveiled by Tesla chief executive Elon Musk.
The tiles, made from glass, are intended to be a more attractive way to add solar panels to homes, compared with currently-used solar technology.
The launch took place in Universal Studios, Los Angeles, on what used to be the set for the television show Desperate Housewives.
It comes with Tesla due to take over struggling energy firm Solar City.
Some of the electric carmaker’s investors have expressed concern over the takeover, suggesting it is a Tesla-funded bail-out of a company Mr Musk has a vested interest in as its biggest shareholder.
Solar City’s chief executive is Mr Musk’s cousin.
Bringing the solar tiles to the Desperate Housewives set was a way of displaying the idea’s key selling point: it looks far better than solar panelling. Mr Musk jokingly described it as a “sweet roof!”.
No price was given for the tiles, which come in a variety of colours and styles, though Mr Musk did say it would be cheaper than fitting a traditional roof and then adding solar on top.
Also part of the launch was Powerwall 2, Tesla’s home battery product. The primary function of the Powerwall is to store any surplus energy from the solar panels. It will cost $5,500 (£4,511), Mr Musk said.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-37809151
What does the BBC think gives it the right to give Tesla such blatant advertising, even to the extent of quoting prices?
Comments are closed.
NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT 
The BBC is out of control and does what it wants to do. There is nobody in Government willing to hold it to account.
The first two pictures in the BBC puff piece have nothing to do with ‘solar tiles’. The third shows the Tesla tiles and looks like a system that has been around for at least five years from memory.
This article from seven years ago for instance. NB no endorsement implied. Note Typical T&Cs ‘no access during earth faults’ (when your roof is on fire!).
https://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/home/solar-slates/5208620.article
What is their pension fund invested in?
Tesla / Musk need all the help they can get…..
…they can’t sell on product merit !!
I’m a regular reader and supporter of this website, but this particular article seems a bit of sour grapes. The public (for whatever reason) sees solar as the future of energy, and Elon Musk is a great salesman. In the UK the financial case is still pretty poor, but clearly improving. I live in Australia, where the Musk vision after this latest promo is financially viable or close enough not to matter, especially for my offgrid house I’m building next year. Good on them for giving it a go, and I’m sure we’ll all read the fine print with interest.
‘Tesla is not a car, battery, or tech company; it is an experimental financial services company and should be regulated as such.’
Devonshire Research Group, LLC; May 2016
It gets worse. Tonight, a new series starts on BBC2 – “Arctic Live”. In the blurb: “The trio (Gordon Buchanan, Kate Humble and Simon Reeve) will be finding out how rising temperatures are affecting polar bears and other wildlife …”