Tesla May Have Revealed a Wireless Charging Pad for Cars

An ambiguous photo from the company's Investor Day presentation shows potential future tech.

Jill Ciminillo | 

Sep 1, 2023 | 2 min read

Tesla

During Tesla's 2023 Investor Day, Senior Director of EV Charging Rebecca Tinucci showed a slide in the finale for her charging presentation that displayed two images. One was of the upcoming Los Angeles Tesla Diner, and the other showed a Tesla parked in a garage over what appeared to be a wireless home charging station.

She offered no additional commentary or explanation.

Does the slide mean Tesla is working on a wireless home charging system? Let's dig into what inductive charging is, how it works, and when we might see it from Tesla.

Inductive Charging Explained

Keeping it simple, inductive — or wireless — charging is the ability to charge a device without using wires. Wireless charging uses magnetic fields to induce a current, or charge, from one set of magnetic coils to another — just like with a charging pad and a smartphone.

When it comes to charging an electric vehicle, a pad connected to a power source would sit on the garage floor — or even in a parking space at the grocery store. All the driver has to do is pull in and park over it to begin charging a vehicle.

The wireless transfer of power was developed by Nikola Tesla more than 100 years ago, yet we're still trying to make it an effective option for vehicles.

Pros and Cons of Wireless Charging

On the plus side, wireless charging is efficient. If you've ever charged your phone wirelessly, you might have noticed your phone heats up, but that's because they're only designed to 70% to 80% efficiency. A vehicle charging system can't be that wasteful. As Green Car Reports points out, wirelessly charging your car is about 90% to 92% efficient, which is about the same as a plug-in charger.

One of the drawbacks, however, is that wireless vehicle charging will be expensive to implement, especially at the beginning, with purchase and installation costs in the thousands per charger. That doesn't take into account any wiring or electrical modifications that need to be made prior to installation.

It is also a fairly inflexible method because wireless charging only works over short distances. The transmitter and receiver need to be in alignment for it to work, so if you don't properly line up the vehicle, it won't charge.

When Will Tesla Offer Wireless Charging?

The short answer is that we have no idea. Tesla hasn't officially said it's building a wireless charging pad. Wireless charging isn't currently offered on any U.S. vehicle. Automakers, BMW and Mercedes-Benz have discussed offering wireless charging but then walked it back. Ram showed an inductive charging robot for the Ram electric truck concept at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2023.

Jill Ciminillo

Jill Ciminillo is a Chicago-based automotive writer, YouTube personality, and podcast host, with her articles and videos appearing in outlets throughout the U.S. Additionally, she co-hosts a weekly radio show on cars for a local Chicago station. Previously, Jill has been the automotive editor for both newspaper and broadcast media conglomerates. She is also a past president for the Midwest Automotive Media Association and has the distinction of being the first female president for that organization.