

You’ll never be able to feel the gentle air flow through your hair on a cool summer night. Sure, you can see the sky overhead, but you’ll never be able to stick your hand up through it and feel the breeze through your fingers. It’s basically just like a metal roof without a moonroof or panoramic moonroof option. What really grinds my gears more than anything when it comes to glass roofs, however, is that they cannot be opened.

Instead, you live with it, and probably complain a little bit to the person driving you around, trying to explain that their car has a dumb roof. And no, there is no visor that you can pull down, like those in the front seat enjoy. Depending on the angle of the sun and the direction you’re traveling, rear seat passengers could find their eyes directly in the sun’s line of fire. Said gorgeous view could ultimately just be a view of the sun directly in your eyes. Folks in the rear seat might actually have it worse, despite the gorgeous view you’re afforded of the sky back there.
TESLA SUN ROOF DRIVER
It’s not just the driver who can suffer with a glass roof, though. And even though I’m here in the Midwest, a long day of driving in the summer sun had me wishing for a hat to protect my face from the hot sun yet again. Just like the Volvo, the Mach-E had no shade to cover the all-glass roof. The most recent glass roof-equipped car I drove was a Ford Mustang Mach-E. At a certain point, I was regretting not bringing a hat along.īut oh, that’s only a problem in the desert, right? Wrong. And no, it’s nothing like standing outside in the sun with no protection, but drive around like this for an hour or two, and it’s guaranteed to wear on you. Since the Volvo doesn’t have a shade, there was nothing I could do about this besides live with the constant discomfort of the sun. Despite the laminated glass featuring heavy tint, I could still physically feel the heat of the desert sun beating down onto my exposed forehead. As an example, I was driving the 2022 Volvo C40 Recharge around Palm Springs, Calif., earlier this year, which is easily one of the sunniest places in the country.

And while the glass used in such applications might block nearly all of the harmful UV rays from the sun, you, the occupant, still feel the heat of the sun’s rays through the roof. All (or at least most) is forgiven if you let me block out the sun with such a convenience.įor starters, glass roofs let the sun in! Yeah, it’s rather obvious, but it needs to be said. Specifically, I’m referring to the ones that don’t feature a shade that extends to cover the roof. I don’t say this as a diss toward Tesla, but more in disappointment toward all the long-established car companies that followed Tesla into this unfortunate endeavor.īefore I get too deep into the blame game, though, let me tell you why glass roofs are bad. We have but one automaker to thank for accelerating the trend, and that’s Tesla. * see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.One of the worst trends in new cars today is the proliferation of glass roofs. The product is offered in 4 different styles: Textured Glass Tile, Slate Glass Tile, Tuscan Glass Tile, and Smooth Glass Tile. After the electricity production, Tesla estimates that its solar roof will be cheaper than regular tile roofs or virtually pay for itself through electricity savings. It comes with a lifetime of the house warranty and 30-year power generation guaranteed. The company says that the “typical homeowner can expect to pay $21.85 per square foot for a Solar Roof” and started taking orders for the US on May 10 with an online price estimate calculator powered by data from Google Sunroof project They are is using a high-efficiency solar cell manufactured by Panasonic and covered with a “color louver film”, which allows cells to blend into the roof while exposing them to the sun above, and finally a tempered glass on top for durability. Tesla and SolarCity developed a solar roof system that integrates the solar cells and modules inside the structure of the roof rather than just panels on a roof.
