Prefer Wired Phone Charging vs Wireless

[El0n]

Anyone prefer the wired option of phone charging as opposed to wireless?
I’ve ordered a wireless phone charger but am having second thoughts. I prefer to keep the electrons for my car instead of my cell phone - and when the cell phone needs a charge, it should be done in the most efficient way possible, no?

Wireless charging will waste so much electricity as heat and it’s a known fact it is less efficient. Wouldn’t it make sense to use a cord in the context of charging in a vehicle, especially a Tesla?

Is there any inherent issue in the 90 degree cords that Tesla sells that I am not aware of? Are they easy to get at the service centers?

Please help me understand. Thank you.

 

[boaterva]

You can get 90 deg cords online also. Just be sure the ‘corner’ goes the right way. Don’t know if SC’s have cords now or not since I haven’t gotten a new car in over a year.

As for charging, I never got the big deal about wireless charging, sorry. I’d rather have my phone have faster charging and always being charged. I plug in a cable to the USB port and use it that way, all the time. (At home I have a wireless pad for things where it’s more useful like AirPods.)

My $0.02

Wireless charging would be more useful if the phones had more functions mirrors and not just phone calls.

 

[El0n]

You can get 90 deg cords online also. Just be sure the ‘corner’ goes the right way. Don’t know if SC’s have cords now or not since I haven’t gotten a new car in over a year.

As for charging, I never got the big deal about wireless charging, sorry. I’d rather have my phone have faster charging and always being charged. I plug in a cable to the USB port and use it that way, all the time. (At home I have a wireless pad for things where it’s more useful like AirPods.)

My $0.02

Wireless charging would be more useful if the phones had more functions mirrors and not just phone calls.

My sentiments exactly.

Also doesn’t really make sense if my wife wants to charge and at the same time want to look up restaurants or something like that. There isn’t much flexibility there.

 

[Msjulie]

The wired plugs also keep the phones from sliding around.. ok maybe silly ... but in general the phone is in the console, lid closed since music is on the 'big screen' as would be any phone calls

Wireless wasn't worth it for me either, in the car anyways

 

[SSonnentag]

If you drive 2 hours per day, with a maximum wireless draw of 15W, that's 30 Wh/day, or the equivalent of about 1/8 mile. If you like the convenience of wireless, worries about power waste are insignificant. Wireless chargers don't draw any significant power unless a phone is connected.

30 Wh/day for a year comes to 11 kWh, or about $3/year.

 

[boaterva]

Yeah, wireless power loss isn’t the issue. It’s the inefficiency of charging and the fact that the phone isn’t charging when in use (passenger or driver when okay).

 

[xxxholic]

I like the convenience of having both options. If I need a quicker and powerful charge - then I just use the Anker quick charge adapter in the arm rest. If I am going for a longer ride or my phone is mostly charged, I like the using the wireless pad. Something about just laying the phone down and picking it up and going is awesome lol.

https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Anker-PowerDrive-Indicator-Delivery/dp/B07RL2N8YY

https://www.amazon.com/TapTes-Wirel...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GDBZMERBQR42MTGTPBQ9

 

[SSonnentag]

I like the convenience of cordless while at work as my phone has all day to charge. In the car I want a fast charge, so the best compromise I've found are these USB cords with magnetic connectors. I can plug and unplug while driving with barely a glance at the cord end.

https://www.amazon.com/Magnetic-Cha...ocphy=9030338&hvtargid=pla-569887333184&psc=1

 

[El0n]

If you drive 2 hours per day, with a maximum wireless draw of 15W, that's 30 Wh/day, or the equivalent of about 1/8 mile. If you like the convenience of wireless, worries about power waste are insignificant. Wireless chargers don't draw any significant power unless a phone is connected.

30 Wh/day for a year comes to 11 kWh, or about $3/year.

Money isn’t really an issue here, we’re talking about a few dollars difference per year.

My question was more about the pros and cons of both options. Electric cars are all about efficiency... and wireless is the least efficient way to charge, and likely least practical as well.

Can’t charge and use at the same time. That’s a major con. As is the inefficiency.

For those using cords... how do you route them?

 

[Runt8]

One issue with using the wired charger is that it doesn’t work with most cases. Skyline sells an adapter that raises the plug up so that it fits in the phone with the case on. Last I checked it was pretty expensive for what it is, but it works great. There’s probably designs out there now if you want to print your own.

Premium - Model 3 Case Friendly Phone Dock (white or black)

 

[El0n]

One issue with using the wired charger is that it doesn’t work with most cases. Skyline sells an adapter that raises the plug up so that it fits in the phone with the case on. Last I checked it was pretty expensive for what it is, but it works great. There’s probably designs out there now if you want to print your own.

Premium - Model 3 Case Friendly Phone Dock (white or black)

Thinking more like charging with a long cord not the one that you can add to the bottom of the phone mat.

 

[holmgang]

Money isn’t really an issue here, we’re talking about a few dollars difference per year.

My question was more about the pros and cons of both options. Electric cars are all about efficiency... and wireless is the least efficient way to charge, and likely least practical as well.

Can’t charge and use at the same time. That’s a major con. As is the inefficiency.

For those using cords... how do you route them?

Wireless is the most practical. That's its raison d'etre. The difference in efficiency between wired and wireless charging is absurdly small. Even if you don't care about the difference in dollar terms, in efficiency terms it's less than folding in your mirrors, or driving 1kph slower, or inflating your tire +1psi, or losing 1kg off your body (that the car has to transport), etc etc etc....

 

[Eno Deb]

Money isn’t really an issue here, we’re talking about a few dollars difference per year.

My question was more about the pros and cons of both options. Electric cars are all about efficiency... and wireless is the least efficient way to charge

Sure, but you have to look at the absolute numbers here. E.g. today's iPhones have around 3000 mAh of battery capacity. At the nominal voltage of 3.7V (Li-Ion cell) that's about 11 Wh, or 0.011 kWh. Assuming 80% efficiency for a Qi charger, you'd waste about 0.00022 kWh when fully charging the phone. Now compare that to the capacity of your Tesla battery.

and likely least practical as well.

I disagree. I really like not having to fumble around with a power plug. Just put the phone on the charger, and pick it up if you need it.

 

[holmgang]

No strain on the charging port and charging head when using wireless

 

[boaterva]

Route them? I have one cord plugged in one of the front ports for the driver and the other socket is for the Sentry USB. If the passenger wants one, we plug in the back. If I wanted to get more involved, I’d get the Jeda hub or something.

Routing is right out the front. Seems pretty simple to me. We removed/didn’t install the hardwired cables for the ‘charging’ mat the first day. I’d forgotten it even came with them. Took ten seconds to remove.

 

[Daddio56]

I bought the USB C/Lightning bundle from Tesla and use it daily. I'm a Google fan so the USB-C is perfect for my Pixel, my wife is an Apple fan and uses the Lightning for her car. We also have a charger/cable combo in the armrest as a backup. Wireless charging imo is too inefficient and causes my phone to heat up when in use. My 2 cents.....

 

[XLR82XS]

One issue with using the wired charger is that it doesn’t work with most cases. Skyline sells an adapter that raises the plug up so that it fits in the phone with the case on. Last I checked it was pretty expensive for what it is, but it works great. There’s probably designs out there now if you want to print your own.

Premium - Model 3 Case Friendly Phone Dock (white or black)

I got a 6mm spacer for the dock for $10 from a user here who 3D prints them. Also make an 8mm and with these any phone case will work in the dock with a cable installed.

 

[KenC]

One the power waste is minimal. Two, if we're talking inefficiency, then it's highly time inefficient to have to plug my phone in and unplug each and every time I get in and out of the car. Not to mention, the more you plug and unplug your phone, eventually the plug stops working and I have to replace it with a new cord. With my magnetic wireless charger, I just grab and go.

 

[acarney]

I actually love the idea of wireless around town. When I hop in the car for five or six minutes to get to work, I just toss the phone on the wireless pad. Sure it’s not going to quick charge or anything but it might top it off a couple percent. 15 minute trek to the store, wireless is super easy.

BUT, I noticed on long trips an issue. I would have it on the wireless mat and it seems fine if I start near 100% (maybe 85 to 100%) and it charges the whole time. But if I’m out taking pictures and using data and then toss it on the mat when I’m at like 40% it’ll charge up maybe to 60% or 70% and then I’ll notice it flash every ten or fifteen minutes, like it just was placed on the charge mat and started to charge. At first I thought it might be aggressive cornering and it shifted on the mat for a moment and then started to charge again. Then I though maybe it’s a slight defect with the usb power system and it gets a dip in power every so often. But it happened enough, five or six cycles, on a recent 2 hour trip AND my phone was very warm and never made it above about 74% (it started at about 55%) that I’m thinking heat buildup is the issue. It’s getting too hot and stops charging, ten minutes or so later it’s cool enough to start charging again and that’s when it flashes, then it gets too hot after a while and stops... repeat for two hours...

I just have a bumper on my iPhone XS Max and a thin clear glass “film” on the back to protect against scratches... I would be shocked if that’s “too much” and trapping heat...

 

[Kevy Baby]

My question was more about the pros and cons of both options. Electric cars are all about efficiency... and wireless is the least efficient way to charge, and likely least practical as well.

The efficiency argument is true, that's a compromise of the convenience. But the practicality is a trade off: simpler convenience vs slower charging.

Can’t charge and use at the same time.

Not sure what your thinking is on this detail: I usually have my phone sitting on the wireless charger while Waze is running and I am playing music from it (and when a call comes in). In this situation, the wireless pretty much keeps the charge % - it's just enough to cover the usage during the drive (Waze is a notorious energy drain).

For those using cords... how do you route them?

I do keep a wired charger in my car, plugged into the cigarette lighter plug. On the rare occasion I use it, I route the cable out under the armrest in the FRONT (not the sides). Out the sides will pinch the cord, but out the front doesn't.