Tesla Confirms They're Working on Wireless, Inductive Home Charging

December 19, 2023

By Kevin Armstrong

Wireless Charging Confirmed

Not a Tesla App

In a revelation that surprises no one, Tesla is working on wireless charging. The company bought a wireless charging company, then sold that company and kept all the engineers. It also hinted at wireless technology during Investor Day in March. However, we now have official confirmation from Tesla.

Franz von Holzhausen's Confirmation

Tesla's wireless EV charging development was officially confirmed in a recent interview with Jay Leno (below). Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla's Chief Designer, explained the project: "Oh, we’re working on the inductive charging. So you don’t need to plug something in at that point. You just pull in your garage, drive over the pad, and you’re charging."

While wireless charging is not new to the EV industry, Tesla's entry into this realm is noteworthy. Several companies, including WAVE and Plugless Power, have explored wireless charging for EVs. However, Tesla's involvement is expected to accelerate the technology's development and adoption.

While only home charging is being considered, the technology could translate to road charging, which now has a pilot program set up in Detroit. The technology behind this advancement involves rubber-coated copper coils embedded beneath the road surface. These coils enable charging for EVs equipped with specialized receivers. The project, a collaboration between the Michigan Department of Transportation, Electreon, and other partners, is limited to vehicles with specific receivers, this technology paves the way for broader applications and integration into the existing EV ecosystem.

Despite the promise of convenience, wireless charging faces challenges, particularly regarding energy efficiency. Converting electricity into a magnetic field and back incurs energy losses, raising concerns about the technology's efficiency compared to traditional plug-in methods. Nevertheless, early reports suggest that Tesla's wireless chargers exhibit remarkable efficiency, potentially addressing these concerns.

The Genesis of the Wireless Charging Concept

Further highlighting Tesla's innovative approach, Rebecca Tinucci, Tesla's Senior Director of Charging Infrastructure, recently named Time Magazine’s Top 100 Most Influential Climate Leaders, provided an insightful comment during an Investor Day 2023. With a slide that read Can't Forget to Do Cool S***, she said, "We are Tesla, so we also want to make sure we are continuing to focus on providing really incredible charging experiences." This remark underscored Tesla's commitment to enhancing the EV charging experience, and the slide also showed a Model S parked with what appears to be a charging pad under it.

Tesla's pursuit of this technology was further evidenced by its acquisition and subsequent sale of Wiferion, a European company specializing in wireless EV charging. This strategic move, often called acqui-hiring, allowed Tesla to integrate key Wiferion engineers into its team while divesting the rest of the company.

Introducing wireless charging technology involves significant installation considerations, including the cost and the need for an inductive receiver on the vehicle. Despite these factors, Tesla's move towards wireless charging aligns with the company's vision of a seamless, automated charging solution, especially in the context of self-driving technology. The vision is to one day have cars that drive themselves; now, they may charge themselves, too.

Tesla Is Now Offering Cybertruck Test Drives [List of Locations]

July 26, 2024

By Karan Singh

@brandonhd

Tesla has begun to reach out to customers in the United States and is offering demo drives of the Cybertruck on an invite-only basis. @brandonhd on X shared the first invite image, and it looks like it's going out quite quickly to multiple locations that have Cybertrucks on display.

Up until now, display vehicles have been for just that – looking, but no touching. Some Tesla delivery centers and showrooms have also allowed viewers to take a seat inside and open it up, but most are still locked away behind the velvet rope.

It’s exciting to see that Tesla has begun to demo them – and it can only be so long until demo drives open up to everyone.

Advisor-led Demo

This Demo Drive is led by a Tesla Advisor – while you’re driving, the advisor will be in the passenger seat, walking you through the experience. They’ll explain steer-by-wire, off-road controls, and will introduce new-to-Tesla buyers to all the features that are currently available.

Once FSD V12.5 comes to the Cybertruck, we’re sure they’ll be demoing its capabilities FSD capabilities as well.

Locations

The list of locations so far for demo drives appears to be fairly limited, but we will hopefully see demo drives roll out throughout the United States, and eventually Canada too. Here is the current list of city/state locations that have seen demo drive invites.

Manhasset, New York
West Covina, California
Los Angeles, California
Houston, Texas
Orlando, Florida
Westmont, Illinois
Tucson, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Delaware

Musk Confirms 'Actually Smart Summon' is Coming in a Revision of FSD V12.5

July 26, 2024

By Karan Singh

Not a Tesla App

Actually Smart Summon, the successor to Tesla’s Smart Summon feature, has been confirmed to be coming as soon as next month as per Elon Musk. Colloquially known as “ASS”, Actually Smart Summon is supposed to improve on the regular Smart Summon capabilities, which have historically used ultrasonic sensors (USS) to navigate parking lots.

We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon, and we’re quite excited about what other features will be unlocked once it finally shows up at our doorstep.

Vision-based Improvements

ASS is supposed to bring Smart Summon to vehicles that don’t have USS – using Tesla Vision. Most recently, Tesla has brought Autopark to vehicles without USS, and Vision-based Autopark has been a huge success. It is faster, more reliable, and smoother than the older USS-based solution. It can also park and maneuver in tighter locations.

Just recently, Tesla returned the Model X’s self-presenting doors, using Tesla Vision. Vision has seen some fantastic improvements, and many people are waiting for ASS to bring forth these improvements to Smart Summon.

Smart Summon Today

Today, Smart Summon is sometimes useful at best, usually a party trick, or downright dangerous at worst. It’s excellent and best used in straight lines, where you have a clear line of sight of the vehicle, and can stop it if doesn’t see an obstacle.

I used Smart Summon today, just before writing this article – my 2022 Model Y (with USS) – did manage to show up just fine – in a straight-line location from where I was parked, after exiting the parking spot fairly cleanly. However, I’ve previously used Smart Summon and have had the vehicle turn towards obstacles, such as cart returns or curbs. Overall, it’s a sometimes-useful feature that has a lot of drawbacks right now.

Smart Summon is also restricted to a certain distance – and it's pretty small. The max distance is shorter than most parking lots, being only about 215 ft (65m). If you’re lucky enough to park close, it's very useful to bring your car right to you.

Actually Smart Summon

ASS will bring FSD V12-like capabilities to Smart Summon – the vehicle will primarily use Vision to drive toward you (or the location you’ve indicated). ASS has been supposed to be coming since about September 2022 and has seen many delays – we’re almost at the 2-year point today.

We’re looking forward to Actually Smart Summon being able to bring the vehicle – safely – right to you. ASS is also one of the key steps towards bringing some other cool features that Elon Musk has previously mentioned – Park Seek and Banish Autopark.

We’re also hopeful that Actually Smart Summon will increase the maximum range a vehicle can be summoned, because the current range is fairly small. Alongside Park Seek and Banish Autopark, we’re closing in on a Robotaxi-based future.

Park Seek and Banish Autopark

When the FSD v12.4 showed up, Elon also mentioned that going forward, vehicles would automatically park themselves when arriving in a parking lot – Park Seek – and that if you got out of the car at the entrance to a business, you could get it to automatically park itself in the parking lot – Banish Autopark. These are two features that are needed for Robotaxi to work – which itself is delayed to October 10^th of this year. We’re looking quite forward to them – as in combination with Actually Smart Summon, Tesla has reached the cusp of vehicle autonomy.

A vehicle that arrives, driverless, at the location you’re at, then drives somewhere, parks itself there, and waits for you – is the definition of a Robotaxi.

While we’re likely to have to wait for Banish Autopark and Park Seek just a bit longer, Actually Smart Summon being around the corner is exciting! Gone will be the days of having to run out to your car when you forgot your umbrella – your car will just come right to you instead.