For years, the only way to charge our mobile phones was to plug them in. Wireless charging technologies were later developed and now it’s possible to power up your device by just placing it on a wireless charging pad. Electric cars have to be plugged in right now but it goes without saying that wireless charging could arrive in the future, and it has for the Tesla Model S, but the company has nothing to do with it.
The wireless charging solution for the Tesla Model S actually comes from an aftermarket EV charger company called Plugless. The company is taking $244 refundable deposits for its wireless charging system for the Model S. It plans to produce the system in spring 2016.
Customers who put down the deposit now will be able to purchase the system for a fixed price of $2440 to which the deposit will be applied. Those who don’t put down a deposit won’t be guaranteed the $2440 price as the MSRP is going to be higher than that.
Charging the Model S with the Plugless wireless charger is very easy. The car needs to be parked over the Plugless charger and it gets a 7.2 kilo-Watt charge that’s going to add about 20 miles of range per hour of charging. Using Plugless to charge the Model S doesn’t change the car’s ability to be plugged in directly into the mains.
The Plugless wireless charging solution for the Tesla Model S is going to arrive later this year.