Tesla is developing its own wireless charging solution
Tesla
Tesla recently parted ways with Wiferion, the German-based wireless charging startup they acquired earlier this year. However, the intriguing part of the deal is Tesla's decision to retain all of Wiferion's engineers. A closer look reveals a strategic game plan focused on acquiring some of the brightest engineering minds in the domain.
While the acquisition and subsequent sale of Wiferion might raise eyebrows, Tesla's decision to retain all of Wiferion's engineers lines up with its overarching strategy to attract and retain the best minds. This move bears all the hallmarks of "acqui-hiring," a tactic tech giants use to rapidly onboard top talent by purchasing companies primarily for their human capital rather than their products or services.
By keeping Wiferion's talent pool, Tesla has effectively bolstered its ranks with experts in wireless charging. This indicates that the company is still very invested in the wireless charging game.
Wiferion's Legacy in Wireless Charging
Founded in 2016, Wiferion made waves in the industry with its innovative inductive charging systems tailored for industrial applications. Their technology could deliver up to lots of power and redefine rapid charging. It wasn't just about the product but about the minds that made it possible.
Tesla's acquisition of Wiferion was initially seen as a move to enhance its charging capabilities. The Freiburg-based startup's technology promised nearly instantaneous charging transitions, delivering up to 12 kilowatts of power. With over 8,000 charging stations sold to industrial customers, Wiferion had already marked its territory in the market.
At a Tesla Investor Day presentation earlier in the year, a seemingly innocuous slide presented by Rebecca Tinucci, Tesla's Senior Director of Charging Infrastructure, hinted at a future with wireless charging. Couple that with the acquisition of Wiferion, and Tesla's ambitions in this domain become crystal clear.
With Tesla's diverse portfolio, including Optimus, the applications of wireless charging and the minds behind it extend beyond vehicles. The expertize acquired from Wiferion could be integrated into various facets of Tesla's innovation pipeline. Could this have been Tesla's plan all along? A strategic move to swiftly integrate top-tier talent into its vision for the future of EV charging? The answer is obvious if you read any biographies about Elon Musk.
In Tesla’s upcoming update, 2024.32.3, Tesla has added hands-free support for opening the vehicle’s frunk. This follows the Spring Update (2024.14), which added Hands-Free Trunk support for certain vehicles.
When hands-free trunk support was added earlier this year, it was supported on vehicles that include an ultra wideband chip, which includes the refresh Model S, new Model X, and the 2024 Model 3. Due to the hardware requirement, these will be the same vehicles that support the new Hands-Free Frunk feature. Legacy vehicles without UWB will unfortunately not support either feature due to the hardware requirement. UWB enables far more accurate tracking of the phone key, allowing Tesla to pinpoint its exact location relative to the vehicle.
The Cybertruck interestingly also includes an ultra wideband chip, however, it didn’t include the automatic opening of the gate earlier this year. However, we expect the Cybertruck to also receive the hands-free frunk opening in this 2024.32.3 update or relatively soon afterward.
Update: The Cybertruck is receiving hands-free frunk support in the 2024.32 update as well.
Hands-Free Frunk
The Hands-Free Frunk works similarly to the trunk feature – with an iPhone 11+ and a recent version of the app, you’ll be able to stand in front of your vehicle, and the Frunk will unlatch after sounding a chime. On some vehicles, the frunk will immediately open after being unlatched, however, you’ll need to manually close it.
This new feature isn’t enabled by default – you’ll need to go to Settings > Locks > Hands-Free Frunk to enable it.
At this time, Tesla doesn’t support UWB on Android devices, though both the Hands-Free Trunk and Hands-Free Frunk support will come to Android users in a future app update, according to Tesla.
Exclude Home
With the addition of the hands-free frunk opening, Tesla has also added a new option. You can now choose to disable the automatic opening when your vehicle is located at home to prevent you from accidentally opening. This will apply to the automatic frunk and trunk. In addition, in the Model X, you’ll also be able to disable the self-presenting doors at home. This is a great addition as many people have kept the hands-free feature disabled due to it awkwardly opening in the garage.
In the 2024.32.3 update, Tesla also mentions that they’ve improved the detection of the phone key, which should make the feature more reliable and faster when approaching the vehicle from the front or rear.
Following its recent launch in the United States and Canada, Tesla has launched their referral program in several European countries as well.
The program is available in Germany, Norway, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and possibly others. The program is almost the same as the one available today in North America, with rewards for each referral and a discount for those referred. The cap in Europe is also ten per year.
This program comes right on the heels of a 0% financing offer for the Model Y in Sweden and France. While referrals aren't currently available in Sweden, the 0% financing still is.
European Referrals
The European Referral program accounts for country and local currency, where applicable.
Country
Referral Discount
Referral Award
UK
£1,000
£500
Germany, France, Netherlands
€1,000
€500
Norway
kr11,500
kr5,750
The referral reward program is comparable to the one available in North America. After exchange rates, there is only an approximately 10% difference between the available rewards in the US and EU.
Other Countries
We expect this program to start rolling out to other European countries over the next few days or weeks, as Tesla continues to expand its referral program.
TeslaFi logs your drives and charging sessions, letting you keep a log of your vehice's activity. We highly recommend checking them out if you use your car for business trips and would like to keep track of reimbursements, if you like to see how much you spend on charging or if you just love statistics. Visit their site and see everything they have to offer!
Tesla Android Project enables you to run Android apps in your Tesla. The platform is Open Source and you can deploy it on your own Raspberry Pi 4. Consider supporting the initiative by donating or purchasing the Compute Module 4 Bundle that delivers the best experience. Get $20 off by using the code: NotATeslaApp
The official Tesla app only notifies you if your car is broken into. By installing Sentry Pro on your phone, you will be notified for all Sentry Mode events. Stay connected and avoid potential surprises by receiving notifications. Stop constantly checking the cameras to ensure safety. Check only when necessary, save battery and get peace of mind. Get a 7 day free trial here!
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