RPMTesla seems deceiving... Skeptical about their wireless charging mat

[AMIYY4YOU]

RPM Tesla

I've seen their video on how to install it here:

I also read somewhere that the Tesla USB chargers are standard 1 A. In order for fast charging to work, you NEED at least 2A drive. From an electrical engineering standpoint, if you input 1A at 5V to the charger, the maximum power you can get is 5W despite what he claims to be a 10W charger. This makes me REALLY skeptical of what they're offering and it just seems really shady.

For experimental purposes, I actually bought one of these same chargers from Amazon and it is a piece of crap from China (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074XC73D3/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A2VASV321ZTF9A&psc=1). It has 5 stars with 8 reviews, but when I tested it in my car, it was pulling SO MUCH CURRENT that I actually started smelling the electronics. In my home it was fine, but it was charging about half a percent per minute which is incredibly slow for fast wireless charging (compare this to a Samsung fast wireless charger). The surprising thing is that it actually IS recognized by the wireless power consortium as a qi certified device (Product details)

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

 

[kengchang]

Model 3 can do more than 1A

 

[AMIYY4YOU]

Model 3 can do more than 1A

Do you have a source for this info?

 

[MP3Mike]

On the Model 3 the rear USB outlets can do 2.25A. The front is only 1A.

 

[gaswalla]

Did you communicate with rpm? I don't know the folks there, but they deserve the opportunity to explain and discuss before posting negativity on the internet

 

[barjohn]

Mark thought that the USB supported more than 1A. I put a meter on the USB in the S with a variable resistive load and found that they only support 500ma. He has updated the video or is in the process of updating the videos to recommend using a 12V socket high power adapter to power the units with at least 2A in order to deliver the 10W of power. I reviewed the new video last night and it is a very nice way to do a professional installation. I can't speak to these specific chargers as I haven't tried them. Mark is a very conscientious guy and strives to please his customers. I have no affiliation with RPM other than being a customer. I don't have a 3 so I haven't tested their sockets but will do so soon. His business is in Orange County, CA which is convenient for me plus I found his products to generally be better quality at a lower price.

 

[DMack]

I thought in order to be considered a “fast charger” you had to use a >15W quick charger/adapter?

Can 5W really make a charging pad that effective?

 

[Dan Detweiler]

Not an electrician so I am relying on the thoughts of those with much more knowledge than I. This video shows them using the 12v adapter instead of the USB. How would this effect charge rates as well as wire capability etc. Thanks

 

[barjohn]

The video above is the one I reviewed last night. You need 10W for fast charging for most phones but iPhones are limited to 7.5W. I can't recall but there are few, if any, phones on the market that support 15W charging. Quite a few Android phones support 10W charging. The adapter Mark is showing supports 2 - 2.25A USB plugs.

 

[patrick40363]

RPM Tesla

I've seen their video on how to install it here:

I also read somewhere that the Tesla USB chargers are standard 1 A. In order for fast charging to work, you NEED at least 2A drive. From an electrical engineering standpoint, if you input 1A at 5V to the charger, the maximum power you can get is 5W despite what he claims to be a 10W charger. This makes me REALLY skeptical of what they're offering and it just seems really shady.

For experimental purposes, I actually bought one of these same chargers from Amazon and it is a piece of crap from China (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B074XC73D3/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?smid=A2VASV321ZTF9A&psc=1). It has 5 stars with 8 reviews, but when I tested it in my car, it was pulling SO MUCH CURRENT that I actually started smelling the electronics. In my home it was fine, but it was charging about half a percent per minute which is incredibly slow for fast wireless charging (compare this to a Samsung fast wireless charger). The surprising thing is that it actually IS recognized by the wireless power consortium as a qi certified device (Product details)

Anyone else have thoughts on this?

Why didn't you buy one from RPM and test? Way to throw RPM under the bus.

 

[AMIYY4YOU]

Why didn't you buy one from RPM and test? Way to throw RPM under the bus.

I'm not throwing them under the bus. This charging pad just makes me very skeptical. I didn't mean to give them a bad name, it's just the first video they posted with confidence as he was plugging it into the front USB port. And HOW can I give them a chance to respond if they disable comments on their youtube videos? Do they have an account on this forum?

Consumers should be informed of this and NOT misled. I have actually purchased several things from RPMTesla and so far I'm happy, but this one product was very misleading. He even makes the point to say in the video 'this is charging 10W , not 5W, 5W is bad you do not want that'

 

[Dan Detweiler]

The video above is the one I reviewed last night. You need 10W for fast charging for most phones but iPhones are limited to 7.5W. I can't recall but there are few, if any, phones on the market that support 15W charging. Quite a few Android phones support 10W charging. The adapter Mark is showing supports 2 - 2.25A USB plugs.

So, pardon my ignorance but does that mean that this set up through the 12v outlet won't work? They quote charge times of roughly 15% in ten minutes if I recall correctly.

Dan

 

[dhu1]

So, pardon my ignorance but does that mean that this set up through the 12v outlet won't work? They quote charge times of roughly 15% in ten minutes if I recall correctly.

Dan

On the Model 3 the rear USB outlets can do 2.25A. The front is only 1A.

This is correct. Front is only available for 1amp (which means 5W charging for iPhone X--which is slightly slower than your normal wired charging) which will not enable fast wireless charging. Rear is 2A (which is required for 7.5W-10W charging). For apple phones, see link for comparisons. Note the RPM claim is based on this data and only gets you ~15% if the battery is drained--when it charges the fastest.

iPhone X Charging Speeds Compared: The Fastest and Easiest Ways to Charge Your iPhone

So what RPM has done is made a simple wireless setup with a thinner pad. Another TMC actually came up with this setup. I already installed the same wireless charger unit underneath the existing pad but with front USBs. It works just fine for me.

QI Charging DIY

Tesla Wireless Pad has done the same, but made it one form factor.

Make no mistake though, both of these are NOT fast charging (which is probably sufficient for most people)--at least if you're using the front usb ports. Also to be clear, neither company has claimed as such. RPM only claims fast charging if you use the 12V battery route where it enables 2amps.

I may actually go the route that RPM has shown by routing to the 12V--which seems really easy--so that I can get full 7.5 charging. But it is just for kicks....the extra juice doesn't really matter much.

 

[nvx1977]

Straight from their website:

[email protected]

makes more sense to ask them to justify their numbers instead of asking us to speculate.

 

[run-the-joules]

I'm currently using a pair of Mophie Powerstation batteries to do power arbitrage. They have pass-through charging, which is key for this. Now I have high-output power in the front since Tesla failed to do it themselves.

One battery is powering QI, the other is powering a Lightning connector.

 

[bedoig]

How much space is there between the front compartment and the rear/armrest compartment that has the 12v source? Could you drill a passthrough and not have to pop off all the trim like they did in the video? Anything important in between the two compartments?

 

[barjohn]

I did testing on the model 3 today. You can safely get 1A from the front ports. You can push them to 1.5A but there is a significant voltage drop. The rear outlets appear to support 2A with only a small voltage drop. This is quite a bit higher than the S. The source must be different and there must be a current limiter somewhere in the circuits.

 

[fseir]

I'm currently using a pair of Mophie Powerstation batteries to do power arbitrage. They have pass-through charging, which is key for this. Now I have high-output power in the front since Tesla failed to do it themselves.

One battery is powering QI, the other is powering a Lightning connector.

Interesting setup. I was actually thinking of routing power to the front, from the 12V, using the same pathway as RPM (hidden in the side trim), and then putting a powered usb hub where you have your Mophie. Lots of USB power for multiple devices.

 

[run-the-joules]

Interesting setup. I was actually thinking of routing power to the front, from the 12V, using the same pathway as RPM (hidden in the side trim), and then putting a powered usb hub where you have your Mophie. Lots of USB power for multiple devices.

I've been considering that as well actually. The mophie setup works but isn't really ideal TBH. The main problem is that using the 12v outlet needs a low-profile adapter since otherwise the tray is pushing on the cable, and the low-profile adapters tend to be the weaker ones…

 

[fseir]

I've been considering that as well actually. The mophie setup works but isn't really ideal TBH. The main problem is that using the 12v outlet needs a low-profile adapter since otherwise the tray is pushing on the cable, and the low-profile adapters tend to be the weaker ones…

Perhaps not the most elegant solution, but maybe something like this would work:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B078HMYV7..._rd_r=9T6B8G27MW2G8GGMN8HA&pd_rd_w=BOkpe&th=1

Not sure if the cable is long enough to make the run, but this would give you 4 USB ports (2 - 2.4 Amp, 2 - 1.0 Amp), and 3 cigarette lighters. It's ugly, but it would be hidden under the charging dock.