Tesla CONFIRMS it's working on wireless charging, meaning EV owners can easily park in the garage and cars will charge automatically
- Tesla's chief designer has confirmed that the carmaker is working on a wireless charging pad
- It teased charging pads in March and bought a wireless charging company in July
- Wireless charging of cars is considered important for the rollout of 'robotaxis'
A top Tesla executive has revealed that the company is working on wireless charging for its cars during a performance in Jay Leno's garage.
As the talk show host was introduced to Tesla's new Cybertruck, chief designer Franz von Holzhausen claimed the company was developing charging pads – similar to the technology used to charge smartphones wirelessly.
“We're working on inductive charging – you don't even have to plug anything in at that point,” said Von Holzhausen. 'All you have to do is drive into your garage, drive over the loading platform and you can charge.'
While wireless car charging is expected to increase convenience for traditional owners, it is also considered important for the rollout of automated taxis, where self-driving cars would ferry passengers around unattended.
Von Holzhausen (right) is seen during an episode of Jay Leno's Garage introducing Leno (left) to Tesla's new Cybertruck
In March, Tesla showed a rendering of a black pad under the back of a Tesla Model S parked in a garage, giving the first indication that inductive charging was in the works.
In that scenario, there would be no need for a human or robot to pick up the charging cable and plug it into the car.
In March, Tesla showed a fake image of a black pad under the back of a Tesla parked in a garage on a slide during a presentation to investors. A black pad is connected by wire to a unit mounted on the garage wall.
Von Holzhausen described a similar method during his appearance on Leno's show.
In July, Tesla spent $76 million on Wiferion, a German wireless charging startup known for inductive charging of forklifts, among other things.
Another clue to what a charging pad might look like – and how it works – can be seen in a video from a company called WiTricity, a company with which Wiferion entered into a “global licensing agreement” in 2022.
WiTricity had that before presented a prototype of a system which allows you to charge a Tesla Model 3 wirelessly – see the video below.
In October, Tesla sold Wiferion. Tesla blog Tesmanian reported this at the time that the purpose of the purchase was to acquire talent in the field of inductive charging.
Tesla has long shown interest in inductive charging. It recently released a small $300 consumer electronics charging pad that can charge three devices simultaneously.
Designing inductive chargers can be challenging because energy losses are difficult to limit. After years of trying to bring the AirPower charging mat to market, Apple eventually canceled it citing “high standards.”
There may be inductive chargers, but they are not particularly urgent.
As it stands, installing one in a garage is significantly more expensive than a traditional charger and the speeds are relatively slow.