Tesla says its Cybercab wireless charging efficiency is ‘well above 90%’

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Tesla has said that its wireless charging system for the Cybercab has a charging efficiency of “well over 90 percent,” in response to questions about whether the system would be inefficient compared to wired charging.

Tesla made the claim on Saturday after tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, better known as MKBHD, highlighted the “massive heat waste” in wireless charging systems in a post on X, claiming that a “noble goal” in wireless charging for electric vehicles (EVs) would only reach “maybe 75 percent efficiency.”

In response, Tesla plainly stated that the system’s “efficiency is well above 90 percent,” eliciting an eyes emoji from Brownlee.

“I stand corrected. Can’t wait for it to ship,” Brownlee wrote, after being encouraged to say more by another user.

Tesla teases Cybercab inductive charging and robot cleaning system

The news comes after Tesla’s “We, Robot” event earlier this month, during which Elon Musk said that the newly unveiled Cybercab would be charged wirelessly with inductive charging, instead of including an NACS port.

Although wireless charging was expected to play a role in the company’s future robotaxi plans, it wasn’t until the “We, Robot” event that such a system was actually teased. During the presentation, Tesla also showed a Cybercab charging at 19kW at 35 state-of-charge (SoC), outpacing the roughly 11.5kW offered by the company’s Wall Connector.

Before the event, some expected wireless charging to play an important role in the robotaxi system, given that the company also patented a wireless charging pad in September. In July, Tesla also patented the automatic cleaning system that would later go on to be teased alongside the inductive charger.

Then, in a video shared by Tesla on Thursday (the one that sparked the discussion between Brownlee and others), the automaker shows a vehicle with 25kW of charging power. The video also highlights Tesla’s focus on autonomy, including driving, cleaning, and charging, with the Cybercab now expected to be able to be operated with “no hands required,” as the company says in the post.

Tesla was also thought to be getting into wireless charging as early as last year, when the company acquired wireless charging company Wiferion, which had been rumored leading up to the news. The company would later go on to sell Wiferion, though it has kept some of the company’s engineers who came onboard with the acquisition.

Teslarati was also in attendance at the “We, Robot” event, at which Tesla unveiled both its two-seater Cybercab and its larger autonomous “Robovan,” set to be a 12- to 14-seat self-driving bus. You can check out our first ride in the Cybercab below.

RELATED:

Tesla Robotaxi Cybercab: Seats, price, special features, release date, and more

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla says its Cybercab wireless charging efficiency is ‘well above 90%’





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Tesla is making it easier for iPhone users to access key car controls

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Tesla has released its latest update for the iOS mobile app this week, including a useful feature that makes it easier to access key car controls from an iPhone.

On Friday, Tesla launched mobile app v4.38.0 on iOS, including a feature that lets owners add certain car commands to the control center on their iPhone. Owners will now be able to access controls such as lock, climate control, charging port access, honk, and even fart from the convenience of the swipe-up control center menu.

The menu can also access commands for flashing your headlights, opening and closing your frunk or trunk, though it’s only available for those using iOS 18. You can see a screenshot a few of the control center commands for Tesla’s vehicles below, as shared over the weekend by Not a Tesla App.

Credit: Not a Tesla App

Along with the ability to add certain commands to the iPhone control center, Tesla mobile app v4.38.0 includes a useful Energy Power Meter feature that makes it easier for users to monitor and manage the system’s power limits when using the Powerwall or Powershare off-grid.

As noted by Tesla mobile app engineer Alex Guichet on X, the metering feature should help owners with smaller systems avoid overloading them, as it makes it easy to see how many backup hours the system has left, along with best practices during outages.

Credit: Alex Guichet | X

Credit: Alex Guichet | X

Credit: Alex Guichet | X

Tesla releases mobile app updates fairly regularly, often adding new features or simple improvements to existing ones. As just a few recent examples, Tesla added home energy demos to the iOS app earlier this year, and it added a range of destination filtering options in an update over the summer. In August, the company also hinted at the release of Autopark in a mobile update alongside a simple release notes button that hadn’t been there before.

In May, J.D. Power ranked Tesla’s mobile app the best out of any OEM, due to the overall ease of use and experience for owners of the company’s vehicles. Tesla has been developing its mobile app since the early days of the Model S and X, and it’s focused more heavily on software than any other manufacturer in the industry.

Tesla flexes Robotaxi wireless charging — autonomy from top to bottom

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Tesla is making it easier for iPhone users to access key car controls





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Tesla Cybertruck Foundation Series ends after 11 months

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Tesla has formally concluded the Cybertruck Foundation Series. A look at the all-electric pickup truck’s order page online shows that the Cybertruck could now be ordered on its base form. Any references to the Foundation Series have also been removed from the vehicle’s order page. 

With the Foundation Series over, the Tesla Cybertruck now starts at $79,990 for the All Wheel Drive (AWD) variant. This still makes the Cybertruck a very premium-priced vehicle, but the retirement of the Foundation Series means that the all-electric pickup truck can now be acquired for a significantly lower price. 

In its base form, the Cybertruck AWD offers 325 miles of EPA-estimated range, a towing capacity of 11,000 pounds, and a 0-60 mph time of 4.1 seconds. In its tri-motor Cyberbeast trim, the Cybertruck gets an EPA-estimated range of 301 miles, 11,000 pounds of towing capacity, and a 0-60 mph time of 2.6 seconds. 

Ultimately, the Cybertruck Foundation Series lasted nearly 11 months, considering that the first deliveries of the vehicle were held at the end of November 2023. This is quite impressive considering that buyers of the all-electric pickup truck are well aware that a more affordable version of the Cybertruck will be available after the Foundation Series ends. 

Tesla has not released detailed sales figures for the Cybertruck Foundation Series, though Kelley Blue Book’s EV Sales Report for Q3 2024 noted that a total of 28,250 Cybertrucks were sold from January to September 2024. From this number, 16,692 Cybertrucks were sold in the third quarter. This was enough to make the all-electric pickup truck the United States’ third best-selling EV in Q3 2024. 

With the Foundation Series now finished, and with customers now freely able to order the Cybertruck from Tesla’s official website, the true test for the vehicle’s sales would begin. Tesla skeptics claim that the company has exhausted the Cybertruck’s pre-orders and the vehicle now has a demand problem, but such sentiments seem premature. If any, it would be interesting to see how many more customers the Cybertruck could attract with its lower entry price. 

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Tesla Cybertruck Foundation Series ends after 11 months





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