PREDICTION: Cybertruck Accessory = Wireless Charging

[wtibbit]

Yes, I agree that these vehicles have spares, and it is ideal that a spare be available, and I would hope CT does in fact have one.

True need for a spare that warrants the user to keep one on board in high challenge environments are usually limited off-road. Otherwise blow-out is fairly rare with general use. And I’m not arguing for not having a spare here. However, based on info we know regarding a spare, or lack therof with the CT at this time, you may expect to not have one provided through Tesla and may need aftermarket accessories to address this issue.

Uh... I wasn't pointing out vehicles with spares. I was offering my opinion that most Cybertruck buyers wouldn't be using their vehicles for off-roading (and therefore those buyers wouldn't need a full size spare.)

Also I didn't suggest that the Cybertruck would come standard with a spare. In fact I don't think it will.

What I did point out was that it could be possible to design a spare wheel/tire that would be small enough to carry, perhaps, in the "diaper" area, or perhaps in the vault's in-bed "trunk."

Blow-outs are rare now, because tire construction has improved so much over the last few decades. But flats are not rare. in my five vehicle extended family we've had four on-the-road flat this year in the Dallas area. Three of them were side wall punctures that couldn't be temporally repaired. We had to use spares or get towed.

It would be great for Tesla or the aftermarket industry to develop and supply an "extra-small" spare that would cost less than $400. A single tow out on the highway, away from home, could cost that much, as I discovered a few months ago.

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[cvalue13]

My logic is pretty simple. There are undoubtedly features that are going to be left off the truck in order to get it to market faster (and the general perception among my friends and colleagues is that the truck is late). Wireless charging would not be useful to very many people out of the gate.

it won’t be standard

just like any of the other accessories

 

[RandyS]

it won’t be standard

just like any of the other accessories

Ok, let me re-phrase my response then...My vote is that wireless charging won't be offered as an option in the first generation of Cybertruck for the reasons I mentioned above. How's that?

 

[cvalue13]

Ok, let me re-phrase my response then...My vote is that wireless charging won't be offered as an option in the first generation of Cybertruck for the reasons I mentioned above. How's that?

well, we went from agreeing to disagreeing ?

 

[cvalue13]

Interesting turn of events, but buried in the story is I think some interesting explanation RE keeping Wiferion’s engineers, and the remaining company continuing to service wiferion’s other customers.

Before Tesla’s acquisition, Wiferion already had licenses with other OEMs, like Mitsubishi. It was always a curiosity how Tesla might handle that.And, Wiferion was in several vertices not relevant to Tesla? Like forklifts and robots for industry.

I’d guess that Tesla purchased the company, carved out the pieces it wished to retain (including engineers and other personnel relevant to vehicle charging), relevant IP, etc., and then sold off the remaining segments of the business. The deal may have also included favorable licenses to Tesla as a condition to the sale.

My emphasis below:

Tesla has sold Wiferion, a wireless charging startup it acquired in June 2023 for an undisclosed amount, to PULS, a DIN rail power supply provider. The EV maker, however, will reportedly keep the firm’s engineers.

The deal, which was announced in a press release, will see PULS continue to manufacture, market, and sell Wiferion’s wireless charging products globally under a new business unit, PULS Wireless, which will be based in Germany. Wiferion is regarded as a provider of wireless charging solutions for AMRs, AGVs, and electric forktrucks.


Tesla’s acquisition of Wiferion has never really been explained by the electric vehicle maker. However, speculations were high that Tesla acquired Wiferion due to the firm’s wireless charging technology. Seemingly adding to these speculations was an image that Tesla released during Investor Day, which showed what appeared to be a Tesla Model S with a wireless charging pad underneath.

Citing an individual reportedly familiar with the matter, The Robot Report noted that Wiferion’s engineers would not be moving to PULS. Instead, they would remain with Tesla. Wiferion’s engineers could be considered veterans in the high-power wireless power transmission industry.

PULS has stated that nothing will change in the operational business of producing wireless power systems for Wiferion’s customers. The sales, marketing, and support teams for Wiferion will transition into a new PULS Wireless division. Julian Seume, former CSO of Wiferion, and now PULS Wireless Division Director, issued a comment about the matter.

“PULS employs more than 100 of the best developers in the industry and has global production and sales locations that take our charging technology and scalability to a new level. Especially in the area of new product development and application support, we are now in a much stronger position and can offer our customers an even better service,” Seume said.

 

[JBee]

Interesting turn of events, but buried in the story is I think some interesting explanation RE keeping Wiferion’s engineers, and the remaining company continuing to service wiferion’s other customers.

Before Tesla’s acquisition, Wiferion already had licenses with other OEMs, like Mitsubishi. It was always a curiosity how Tesla might handle that.And, Wiferion was in several vertices not relevant to Tesla? Like forklifts and robots for industry.

I’d guess that Tesla purchased the company, carved out the pieces it wished to retain (including engineers and other personnel relevant to vehicle charging), relevant IP, etc., and then sold off the remaining segments of the business. The deal may have also included favorable licenses to Tesla as a condition to the sale.

My emphasis below:

Tesla has sold Wiferion, a wireless charging startup it acquired in June 2023 for an undisclosed amount, to PULS, a DIN rail power supply provider. The EV maker, however, will reportedly keep the firm’s engineers.

The deal, which was announced in a press release, will see PULS continue to manufacture, market, and sell Wiferion’s wireless charging products globally under a new business unit, PULS Wireless, which will be based in Germany. Wiferion is regarded as a provider of wireless charging solutions for AMRs, AGVs, and electric forktrucks.


Tesla’s acquisition of Wiferion has never really been explained by the electric vehicle maker. However, speculations were high that Tesla acquired Wiferion due to the firm’s wireless charging technology. Seemingly adding to these speculations was an image that Tesla released during Investor Day, which showed what appeared to be a Tesla Model S with a wireless charging pad underneath.

Citing an individual reportedly familiar with the matter, The Robot Report noted that Wiferion’s engineers would not be moving to PULS. Instead, they would remain with Tesla. Wiferion’s engineers could be considered veterans in the high-power wireless power transmission industry.

PULS has stated that nothing will change in the operational business of producing wireless power systems for Wiferion’s customers. The sales, marketing, and support teams for Wiferion will transition into a new PULS Wireless division. Julian Seume, former CSO of Wiferion, and now PULS Wireless Division Director, issued a comment about the matter.

“PULS employs more than 100 of the best developers in the industry and has global production and sales locations that take our charging technology and scalability to a new level. Especially in the area of new product development and application support, we are now in a much stronger position and can offer our customers an even better service,” Seume said.

So basically it was just an IP purchase, with support personnel to get the IP working.

Will be interesting to see what Tesla make it of it, although I doubt I'll ever pay extra for the option. Still prefer hard-wired plug.

I have an idea for wireless charging.

Sounds silly at first, but it is compatible with every existing EV on the planet, without any upgrades to them at all. Can charge at around 40-100kW, produces no extra EMF, and obviously never needs plugging in. You just get a little bit extra tyre wear. Have you guessed it yet?

It's an EV treadmill/reverse dyno!

You just end up with a stock standard AC induction motor driving some rollers on the ground, spinning the drive wheels that then regen to charge the pack. You obviously need some safety around the rollers and spinning wheels, like a shroud to park into, and a way to block the car from moving, but the rollers would only need to spin at around 50kmh. Would make some noise too, but hey it's wireless! ?

 

[WHIZZARD OF OZ]

IMAGINE ROBOTAXI CYBERTRUCK......

 

[Jhodgesatmb]

So basically it was just an IP purchase, with support personnel to get the IP working.

Will be interesting to see what Tesla make it of it, although I doubt I'll ever pay extra for the option. Still prefer hard-wired plug.

I have an idea for wireless charging.

Sounds silly at first, but it is compatible with every existing EV on the planet, without any upgrades to them at all. Can charge at around 40-100kW, produces no extra EMF, and obviously never needs plugging in. You just get a little bit extra tyre wear. Have you guessed it yet?

It's an EV treadmill/reverse dyno!

You just end up with a stock standard AC induction motor driving some rollers on the ground, spinning the drive wheels that then regen to charge the pack. You obviously need some safety around the rollers and spinning wheels, like a shroud to park into, and a way to block the car from moving, but the rollers would only need to spin at around 50kmh. Would make some noise too, but hey it's wireless! ?

Sounds very “Jetsons”. Sadly, it would use so much energy that it wouldn’t be practical, but a nice idea nonetheless.

 

[JBee]

Sounds very “Jetsons”. Sadly, it would use so much energy that it wouldn’t be practical, but a nice idea nonetheless.

Sure it's probably not as efficient as plugging in a charge cable at the right voltage from an existing electrical power supply.

But say for example you had a wind turbine driving those rollers, or a hydro turbine driving the rollers mechanically, without any electrics. Sure at CT power levels this is not a trivial thing, but on smaller vehicles, like Aptera or ebikes etc, this might be a viable option, especially in areas where grid infrastructure is limited.

 

[SlegMD]

But that also means it's spewing out a heap of EMF, which means I won't be considering that option for a house install with people around.

So… if say the house cat thinks it’s witty and runs under the vehicle charging… am I going to have to replace a cat of similar likeness before the GF realizes what is amiss?

 

[cvalue13]

The other thing is it's likely to weigh something, meaning you'll have less range, but it also means extra cost, so it better be an option only.

weigh quite a bit, even

 

[ldjessee]

The Wiferian technology used magnet coupling (I think that is what they called it, might have been magnetic resonance).
Unless the cat has a metal implant, probably save, but would assume the pad would be 4-6 inches tall and once the CT drops to entry height, not sure there would be much room for a cat…

Also Wiferian claimed over a 90% efficacy, so probably not as a big of hit as people think.

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