Tesla has begun delivering newer “Raven” Model S and Model X with a wireless charger for smartphone and Qi-certified compatible devices. New Model X owner who goes by Subadad on Reddit made the discovery after he slid his smartphone into the vehicle’s center console-mounted phone cradle, only to discover that it began to wirelessly charge.
“Just picked up my Model X and noticed that the center console that stores the USB was different than my wife’s that we picked up a month ago. Both are 2020 models,” notes Subadad. The new Model X owner took to his Youtube channel to share a first look at Tesla’s new Model S/X wireless phone charger in action.
The new discovery corroborates a recent discovery on the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) of a Tesla-branded cord-free phone charger that resembled the current Model S and Model X phone cradle. Insight from notable Tesla “hacker” @greentheonly further validated that a new inductive phone charger was coming to Tesla’s flagship vehicles.
The new wireless charger does appear to occupy one of the two USB ports located in front of the center console. Some members of the Reddit thread where u/Subadad initially shared his discovery found it interesting that the device was not hardwired directly into the vehicle. However, this may be a way for Tesla to more easily adjust the size of the charging cradle, if and when necessary, to accommodate larger phones as they become available.
While this is the first time we’re seeing a factory wireless phone charger for the Model S and Model X, Tesla’s mass-market Model 3 has benefitted from the host of aftermarket and factory wireless phone chargers on the market.
We’ve embedded Subadad’s video, showing his 2020 Raven Model X’s built-in wireless phone charger in action below.