Tesla debuts - then pulls - portable Qi wireless charger with ho-hum specs
A new $65 iPhone charger, using the Qi standard, appeared on Tesla's website Tuesday -- but had mysteriously disappeared by the end of the night.
In a rare piece of recent news about Tesla Motors that didn't center on the increasingly erratic behavior of founder/CEO Elon Musk or his quixotic, since-abandoned effort to take the company private, Tesla Tuesday introduced a new iPhone charging product. But by that night, the charger was gone from Tesla's website, with its URL redirecting to Tesla's general e-commerce website.
According to a cached version of the website, the Tesla Wireless Charger is described as a "6000mAh (22.2Wh) battery-powered inductive charging pad that features the same design language used in our energy products, like Powerwall. In addition to wirelessly charging your device, you can also power up your phone with the integrated USB-C cable."
For devices without USB-C, a more traditional USB-A port accommodates charging on the go. A built-in USB-A cable, integrated in the charger's perimeter, is used to juice up the portable pack.
The product's $65 price point is, or was, a bit high for a charger of its kind, especially one without a large battery cell and a wireless module that outputs only 5W of juice. Apple's iPhone 8 and iPhone X are both compatible with 5W chargers, but many users opt to take advantage of the faster 7.5W charging mode that was enabled with iOS 11.2 in December.
It would appear Tesla is targeting customers willing to pay premium prices for brand recognition and high style. Perhaps more useful than a Tesla-branded power bank is RAVPower's HyperAir battery pack, a 10,400mAh device with 7.5W wireless charging capabilities, or Mophie's Powerstation Plus XL.
It's unclear why the Tesla iPhone Charger was pulled from Tesla's site.
It was reported earlier this week that Apple had poached "scores" of employees from Tesla in recent months, some but not all of which have gone to work for the "Project Titan" team. Former Mac VP Doug Field also recently returned to Apple after a five-year stint at Tesla.
In a rare piece of recent news about Tesla Motors that didn't center on the increasingly erratic behavior of founder/CEO Elon Musk or his quixotic, since-abandoned effort to take the company private, Tesla Tuesday introduced a new iPhone charging product. But by that night, the charger was gone from Tesla's website, with its URL redirecting to Tesla's general e-commerce website.
According to a cached version of the website, the Tesla Wireless Charger is described as a "6000mAh (22.2Wh) battery-powered inductive charging pad that features the same design language used in our energy products, like Powerwall. In addition to wirelessly charging your device, you can also power up your phone with the integrated USB-C cable."
For devices without USB-C, a more traditional USB-A port accommodates charging on the go. A built-in USB-A cable, integrated in the charger's perimeter, is used to juice up the portable pack.
The product's $65 price point is, or was, a bit high for a charger of its kind, especially one without a large battery cell and a wireless module that outputs only 5W of juice. Apple's iPhone 8 and iPhone X are both compatible with 5W chargers, but many users opt to take advantage of the faster 7.5W charging mode that was enabled with iOS 11.2 in December.
It would appear Tesla is targeting customers willing to pay premium prices for brand recognition and high style. Perhaps more useful than a Tesla-branded power bank is RAVPower's HyperAir battery pack, a 10,400mAh device with 7.5W wireless charging capabilities, or Mophie's Powerstation Plus XL.
It's unclear why the Tesla iPhone Charger was pulled from Tesla's site.
It was reported earlier this week that Apple had poached "scores" of employees from Tesla in recent months, some but not all of which have gone to work for the "Project Titan" team. Former Mac VP Doug Field also recently returned to Apple after a five-year stint at Tesla.
Comments
They don't know what else to do beyond fast electric cars as the competition zeros in on them.
Tesla has a nice network of fast chargers but they are not monetizing it at all.
Tesla should charge for using the chargers to make a profit and maintain the chargers.
These chargers will soon need to be retrofitted for wireless charging.
But with Uber & soon Apple zeroing in on Tesla’s moneymaker I feel it’s going to have a dark dark future.
Can you give me example on Musks erratic behavior? I am not sure what you mean.
This sentence brought a smile to my face
More erratic behaviour!!
Apple zeroing, how? Project Titan? Lol. Money can’t really speed up the process when Apple today is nowhere close to Tesla 10 years ago. Yeah, the time when Tesla already had the roasters on the road and took $5000-deposits for Model S.
Somehow I don’t think gaming stock options was Don de la Mancha’s bag. Inadvertently or not.
edit: Nunzy finds you lot so easy.
In all seriousness, however, perhaps calling that cave diving rescuer (who saved those kids and risked his own life in doing so) a ‘pedo guy’ wasn’t the most careful decision he’s made. Or randomly tweeting about taking Tesla private. If he intended to he should have inked a deal in writing and announced a legit proposal in a proper manner. Both actions were reckless. Not to mention you can see he’s a bit off in interviews as of late (his MKBHD interview) and he always looks wrecked tired. Needs a healthier work load and sleeping ritual? Seems like it.
On the topic of a this charger, however. It’s a good idea to make it this shape as it greatly helps the user put their phone on the charger correctly. That said I’m unsure why they are making one. I don’t know if they’ve one built into Tesla cars, but if do or are intending to, it is as good a reason as any to get good at making these. Every Tesla car should come default with a couple of these built into the chassis. IMO no cars in 2018 should require a wire in the car to charge your smartphone once you enter. And having these built in by default in a vehicle significantly improves owner experience for owners fortunate enough to own such a phone. Others like myself who prefer SE can use a wire. But going forward all phones will surely have this optional charging method. So fitting and even retrofitting most cars now makes a lot of sense.
If you switched out "iCar" with "iPhone" and "Tesla" with "Motorola, Nokia, RIM, etc," I bet you could find almost that exact same quote ca. 12 years ago. People were pretty happy with the RAZR and the BlackBerry, too. We know how that turned out.
I'm not betting against Apple's success with the iCar, if they decide to move into that market.