- Tesla's chief designer confirmed that the automaker is working on a wireless charging pad
- The company marketed charging pads in March and bought a wireless charging company in July
- Wireless car charging is considered important for the introduction of “robotaxis”
A top Tesla executive revealed during an appearance at Jay Leno's Garage that the company is working on wireless charging for its cars.
When introducing Tesla's new Cybertruck to the talk show host, chief designer Franz von Holzhausen claimed the company was developing charging pads – similar to the technology used to wirelessly charge smartphones.
“We are working on inductive charging – you don’t even have to connect anything,” says von Holzhausen. “Just drive into your garage, drive over the loading area and the battery will start charging.”
While wireless car charging is expected to improve convenience for traditional owners, it is also seen as important for the introduction of automated taxis, where self-driving cars would carry passengers without supervision.
Von Holzhausen (right) is seen during an episode of Jay Leno's Garage introducing Tesla's new Cybertruck to Leno (left).
In March, Tesla showed a rendering of a black pad under the back of a Tesla Model S parked in a garage, providing the first indication that inductive charging was in the works
In this scenario, it would not be necessary for a human or robot to pick up the charging cable and insert it into the car.
In March, during a presentation to investors, Tesla showed a slide showing a mock-up image of a black pad under the back of a Tesla parked in a garage. A black pad is connected via a cable 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, among other things, inductive charging for forklifts.
Another hint of 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 signed a “global license agreement” in 2022.
WiTricity had previously unveiled a prototype system that can wirelessly charge a Tesla Model 3 – see video below.
In October, Tesla sold Wiferion. Tesla blog Tesmanian reported at the time that the purpose of the purchase was to attract talent in the inductive charging field.
Tesla has long expressed interest in inductive charging. A small $300 consumer electronics charger was recently released that can charge three devices at once.
Developing inductive chargers can be challenging because energy losses are difficult to mitigate. After years of trying to bring the AirPower charging mat to market, Apple finally discontinued it citing “high standards.”
Even if inductive chargers could come, they are not particularly urgent.
Currently, installation in a garage is significantly more expensive than a conventional charger and the speed is comparatively slow.