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Plugless Charging

AZ Desert Driver

Rare combination
Mar 12, 2016
1,335
715
Tucson AZ
Great answers from Plugless Steve. Most jib with other data I have seen, but his efficiency numbers don't fit. Now I have to decide whose numbers are better - my memory or Steves documents. In a few years, it will be relevant to me, but not today. Good Luck Plugless!!!
 

PluglessSteve

Member
Sep 24, 2015
36
46
Richmond, Va
Ahhh shucks, thanks @Desert Driver. No doubt you will have seen 95% - but two important things to caution you on any efficiency numbers you may see - are they for production systems? You can get all sorts of exciting efficiencies in a lab, all sorts of things have to happen to sell a safe, all-weather, bulletproof system that works our in the wild - and meets FCC, UL and ETL certification standards. Also ANY claims of efficiencies should be tested by a 3rd party entity that requires publishing (which is the case with Idaho Nat'l Labs).
 
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Rockster

Active Member
Oct 22, 2013
3,007
4,611
McKinney, TX
For me, plugging and unplugging the car is so effortless that wireless charging is a solution in search of a problem. Plus, even after three years driving a Model S, I still get a bit of a thrill each time I plug in, thinking "I'm not buying gas."
 
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MTN Ranger

Member
Jan 20, 2016
84
108
Raleigh, NC
The car wont drive off while it's "plugged in". So if, with this wireless charging solution, Tesla sees the car as being "plugged in", then when you get into the car, you will not be able to drive off without disconnecting (and probably waiting) for the wireless elevated charge to drop to the floor.

On Volts and Leafs that use the Plugless Power system, when the car finishes charging, the car is notified and it is "unplugged". There are no moving parts. The Tesla version shouldn't be any different. IMO, wireless charging really makes the summon feature more useful.
 

Garlan Garner

Banned
Mar 31, 2016
11,351
6,062
Chicagoland
I know I shouldn't make this comparison but I'll make it anyway. If mobile phone chargers are any indication, I'd rather have my car charge via cable :)

So many times the charging just stops and I need to pickup and put the phone back on the pad to continue the charge.

You will just have to pick up your Tesla and put it back down on the charge pad. What's the problem?
 
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Garlan Garner

Banned
Mar 31, 2016
11,351
6,062
Chicagoland
I think this is a market opportunity for someone to do a wireless charge solution where the two plates make near contact when switched on so that efficiency is at its max yet there is no electricity passing through.

When switched off, the base plate on the floor will return flat and flush with the floor level but when switched on, it will rise up and make contact with charge plate on the underside of car. So what happens if someone just drives off accidentally while switched on? There will have to be a mechanical defeat mechanism that collapses on movement or auto retraction of some sort.

I am sure someone must have tried something similar and failed, can't be that easy right?
What? I can't believe that the wireless charging folks would read this post and say "HEY We didn't think about that".
 

PluglessSteve

Member
Sep 24, 2015
36
46
Richmond, Va
On Volts and Leafs that use the Plugless Power system, when the car finishes charging, the car is notified and it is "unplugged". There are no moving parts. The Tesla version shouldn't be any different.

That's largely correct (there is a fan on the control panel that moves, but yes at the point of charging, no moving parts). Also, if you need to drive off while charging on Plugless, it disengages when you step on the brake.
 

McHoffa

EV.network
Sep 29, 2015
1,100
1,189
Canton, NC
I'll plug in at home or supercharger, but imagine if various parking spots (paid even) at stores/malls had these in the ground? Just pull up and get 20 miles of range while you're shopping without touching anything? And then if the car had summon or future full autonomy, it could drive to a normal spot after a given amount of time. In that case, the car could actually pull into one of those spots while you're in the store if they were all taken when you got there.
 

Frank99

Member
Apr 7, 2016
107
124
Arizona
Once I got a good wireless charger for my phone, I loved it - and now have one in each of my cars, at my desk, and on my nightstand. I have to put my phone down somewhere, so I put a charger everyplace that I would likely put it down. My phone is nearly always at 100% charge, and I never have to spend 30 seconds turning the micro-USB cable over and over trying to figure out what way gets it to plug into the phone. Yes, the wireless charger only charges my phone at a 3 hour rate, when my high-power phone charger will do it in one - but I don't care, my phone is always full. My high-power charger is in my travel bag for those quick fill-ups during a 45 minute layover between flights.

As soon as this system is available for my Model 3, I'll buy it. I drive my car 75 miles a day, and sleep at night. I really don't care if my car charges at 20 miles/hour or 30 miles hour - It'll start charging at 3 AM and be ready for me in the morning regardless. I won't have to move the UMC from my garage to my trunk if I'm going to drive a long distance. I won't have to hang the UMC from the ceiling so that I can easily plug it into the car (I need to park the 3 with the charging port facing the middle of the two-car garage; my other option is to lay the UMC on the floor and hope I don't drive over it...).

I do agree that a little bit of mechanization on the charger would be nice - rather than a wall-mount display that I have to pay attention to in order to park in precisely the right spot, a bit of motion capability in the charger to move itself to the right spot under the car would be nice. Six inches left and right, maybe 12 inches forward and back, maybe a bit of Z adjustability to better couple to the onboard coil and raise efficiency, would make the charger completely effortless. Even my wife could park that accurately without thinking too much about it. (Sorry, honey). But, then again, maybe it doesn't have to be very precise and the display isn't a concern.
 

ZAKEEUS

Member
Feb 10, 2016
316
229
Denham Springs, Louisiana
Today I drove to a gas station, grabbed a filthy pump handle, inserted it into my car, put my credit card in the reader, selected my fuel type and stood there while it filled my car, I then put the pump thingy back where it was and chose not to receive a receipt. I think plugging in when I get home isn't gonna kill me. The idea seems cool, but probably 4x the price for something that is moderately more convenient.
 

JeffK

Well-Known Member
Apr 27, 2016
6,997
6,652
Indianapolis
Today I drove to a gas station, grabbed a filthy pump handle, inserted it into my car, put my credit card in the reader, selected my fuel type and stood there while it filled my car, I then put the pump thingy back where it was and chose not to receive a receipt. I think plugging in when I get home isn't gonna kill me. The idea seems cool, but probably 4x the price for something that is moderately more convenient.
Did you have to punch in your zip code after saying no to a rewards program and also decline a carwash... I hate that!
 
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Garlan Garner

Banned
Mar 31, 2016
11,351
6,062
Chicagoland
Today I drove to a gas station, grabbed a filthy pump handle, inserted it into my car, put my credit card in the reader, selected my fuel type and stood there while it filled my car, I then put the pump thingy back where it was and chose not to receive a receipt. I think plugging in when I get home isn't gonna kill me. The idea seems cool, but probably 4x the price for something that is moderately more convenient.
To each his own.
 

PluglessSteve

Member
Sep 24, 2015
36
46
Richmond, Va
Did you have to punch in your zip code after saying no to a rewards program and also decline a carwash... I hate that!

...same, and the music ugghhh. Again not about saving a few seconds here and there but forgetting to refuel altogether. This is what our customers tell us - they get it theoretically when they purchase, but after a few weeks it dawns on them that they just don't think about it anymore. One guy calls it his personal valet, he just comes out and it's always "topped off". Some day in the future, you'll charge wirelessly - when you get there, remember this thread.
 

NeverFollow

Active Member
Aug 9, 2010
1,277
730
New Jersey and Oregon are the only U.S. states that currently ban self-service gas stations.
The purpose of these laws was to protect consumers and gas station owners from costly, and possibly deadly, accidents.
(or to provides extra income to the owner of the gas station? :)
Bans on Gas Pumping

I just wonder if you will need to use a valet parking in NJ and OR?
 

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