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.
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Tesla recently showed off Giga Small Haus, an interesting new display project hosted at Giga Berlin. The small new house is located just outside the main entrance of Tesla’s Giga Berlin factory, with a Quicksilver Model Y parked inside.
Giga Small Haus is powered only by solar and Powerwall 3 - disconnected from the local grid and from Giga Berlin itself. It serves as a live demonstration of Tesla Solar and Tesla’s Powerwall battery backup.
Giga Small Haus
The centerpiece of the display is a Model Y in Quicksilver - a beautiful pick for a beautifully lit house. However, that’s not the real focus here - it's the Powerwall and Gateway on the wall.
The Powerwall is the focus of Giga Small Haus, and there’s a display with some additional information on the wall. Part of the display also includes a screen that displays the current output of the Powerwall itself versus the consumption of Giga Small Haus, as well as the input from solar.
The interior exhibit of Giga Small Haus
Not a Tesla App
The text on the exhibit is divided into several sections. Here’s a translated and edited version of what we can see from Tesla’s images. Some additional text is obscured. If someone visits Giga Small Haus, let us know.
Powerwall
Powerwall is a home battery system that stores energy from solar panels, the electrical grid, or during off-peak hours and powers your home during the day or during a power outage.
With Powerwall, you can use self-generated solar energy during the day and night, thus avoiding high electricity costs. You can also store excess energy produced during sunny periods for use during times of low production or power outages.
Key Features
Energy Storage: Powerwall stores excess energy from solar panels or the grid for later use or during power outages.
Backup Power: In the event of a power outage, Powerwall automatically switches to battery power to ensure continuous power supply.
Integration: Powerwall can be seamlessly integrated with existing solar systems and other power sources.
Scalability: Multiple Powerwalls can be installed to meet higher energy storage needs.
Smart Energy Management: Powerwall works with Tesla's software to optimize energy consumption and reduce costs.
How Powerwall Works
Storage: During the day, when solar panels produce more energy than needed, the excess is stored in Powerwall.
Usage: At night or during times of low solar production, the stored energy is used to power the home, reducing reliance on the grid.
Backup: During a power outage, Powerwall automatically provides power to critical circuits, ensuring continuous operation of essential appliances.
Benefits
Cost Savings: By storing and using solar energy, you can reduce your electricity bills.
Reliability: Provides backup power during outages, ensuring your home remains powered.
Sustainability: Promotes the use of renewable energy by storing excess solar production for later use.
Overall, Giga Small Haus is an interesting real-life demo of what Powerwall and Solar can accomplish. It would be neat if Tesla built more of these displays - perhaps near major Delivery and Service Centers and at Giga Texas, Fremont, Giga Shanghai, and other facilities. Many Tesla owners have yet to learn about and experience some of Tesla’s Energy products.
Tesla has added the Acceleration Boost option to the Tesla store for owners of the 2024 Model 3 Long Range - specifically owners in Australia and China. Acceleration Boost is an upgrade that provides a significant performance boost, drastically narrowing the performance gap between the Long Range and Performance versions of the same model.
This upgrade will likely become available in Europe, Canada, and the United States in the next few days as Tesla updates its shops globally.
Acceleration Boost
This new Acceleration Boost is retailing for $3,000 AUD, or approximately $2,000 USD. That’s the same price for current owners of older Model 3 or Model Y Long Range vehicles, which all have the option to purchase Acceleration Boost through the shop.
The boost provides improved 0-100km/h (0-60mph) performance, bumping the 2024 Model 3 LR from 4.4s to 3.8s. The 2024 Performance version comes in at a blazing fast 2.9 seconds, so while it isn’t equivalent to just buying a performance variant in the first place, it is still a noticeable and significant upgrade.
Performance variants also come with a different front fascia vent for cooling, performance drive units, sport seats, adaptive suspension, 20-inch wheels, and Track Mode V3. That’s a significant number of additional features in the $10,000 USD price difference between the Long Range and Performance versions.
Should You Buy It?
If you’ve purchased a Long Range model and are itching to go just that little bit faster at every red light, this is the upgrade for you. It previously came with the cost of slightly reducing vehicle range, but the Tesla store doesn’t make a note of reduced range this time around. The 2023 Model 3 and Model Y Long Range models had an efficiency loss of about 5% due to the additional always-available acceleration and cooling.
You could drive in Chill mode to mostly negate that efficiency loss, but what’s the fun in driving in Chill when you just got Acceleration Boost? Anyhow, the shop listing for the 2024 variant doesn’t include this detail, so it's possible Tesla may have worked some more engineering magic.
Overall, if you’ve got the $3,000 AUD burning a hole in your pocket, some Tesla referral credits sitting around, or just want to go faster, it's definitely an upgrade many users find valuable.
