American electric vehicle (EV) giant Tesla According to a recently filed patent, it looks like wireless charging technology will be introduced.
Discovered by user X (formerly Twitter) SETI ParkThe patent for the wireless charger was filed with the World Intellectual Property Organization and published last week.
Wireless charging technology is expected to be supported by Tesla’s upcoming robot taxi, which could be called the Cybercab.
Tesla says robotaxi, will be revealed on October 10will be the first fully autonomous car, capable of driving itself without any human intervention in the driving process.
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The patent shows a pad on the ground that connects to a wall outlet, where the electric car stops to charge – provided it has the necessary hardware to support it.
Such technology would benefit Tesla’s robot taxis, allowing autonomous vehicles to operate with less human intervention by not needing someone to plug them in to charge.
While Tesla has kept the technology under wraps until now, the company acquired German wireless EV charging specialist Wiferion in August last year for $76 million (AU$113.6 million) before selling it just a few months later.
The company has also publicly laid off employees in its Supercharger fast-charging network division. earlier this yearAlthough it is unknown whether this is related to the development of wireless technology.
Tesla isn’t the only automaker investing in wireless EV charging technology.
Genesis, Hyundai’s luxury brand, has gone so far as to deploy wireless charging infrastructure across South Korea before it was reported remove technology a year ago.
In the case of the Korean automaker, its charger can deliver up to 11kW of power but only works when the car’s charging coil and the wireless charging pad are perfectly aligned.
Back in 2018, BMW introduced the technology in the 530e iPerformance PHEV (plug-in hybrid), although the technology has yet to be widely deployed.
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