Vendor We designed a better phone dock for the Model S & X. Here's how, and why.

[Struja]

Joe,

Product looks great but I still have one concern...one of the issues with the current dock is during rapid acceleration the phone catapults off the dock. I don’t believe your new design addresses this issue (or maybe it does). Can you comment on that issue?

I mean...I know the obvious answer could be...slow down...but I am just trying to be realistic.

 

[EvolutionTeʂla]

@skyline Finally! The OEM dock is such a limiting design. I'm tired of having my phone slide all around and fussing with messy cables. Will you be offering a bundle with the dock, a lightning cable and the spring-loaded side guides that fit the iPhone X with a case? I don't have the OEM dock since I knew it wouldn't work for my phone(s) so I'll need the cable as well. Hopefully you'll be able to ship to Canada.

@Struja It sounds like they're going to be selling spring-loaded side holders later on which should hold the phone in place. I agree, we shouldn't have to stop enjoying the Tesla acceleration just to prevent our phones from banging about.

 

[bob_p]

Joe,

Product looks great but I still have one concern...one of the issues with the current dock is during rapid acceleration the phone catapults off the dock. I don’t believe your new design addresses this issue (or maybe it does). Can you comment on that issue?

I mean...I know the obvious answer could be...slow down...but I am just trying to be realistic.

My phone is in a black case - so it doesn't work with Tesla's standard port or side guides. I was able to adjust the docking port by forcing the connector to protrude further and allow it to make a connection with the phone in my case. But I couldn't find a way to adapt Tesla's guides to my phone (which is wider than their guides support).

Until I can find a side guide solution, my temporary fix was to apply two small strips of Velcro to the back of the phone and the flat area on the console above the docking port (cloth side on the phone, hook side on the console). And this provides enough support to keep the phone from flopping off the charger during acceleration.

If the OP's company comes up with side guides that work with my phone in it's case, I'll shift to that - and the velco will easily come off both the case and the console.

 

[skyline]

I like how the vendor outright ignored your question, which actually is mine as well. No love for us first gen premium center console dudes, I guess.

Mickie,

We are certainly not trying to ignore anyone, but I wanted to check into the feasibility of the design in that particular console before answering. If anyone with an older style console would be willing to take a few measurements for us, we can look into creating a version for the first generation console folks as well.

 

[skyline]

@skyline Finally! The OEM dock is such a limiting design. I'm tired of having my phone slide all around and fussing with messy cables. Will you be offering a bundle with the dock, a lightning cable and the spring-loaded side guides that fit the iPhone X with a case? I don't have the OEM dock since I knew it wouldn't work for my phone(s) so I'll need the cable as well. Hopefully you'll be able to ship to Canada.

@Struja It sounds like they're going to be selling spring-loaded side holders later on which should hold the phone in place. I agree, we shouldn't have to stop enjoying the Tesla acceleration just to prevent our phones from banging about.

At least for now, we will not including the lightning/micro-USB cables with the dock. These cables are available separately from the Tesla online store, however. We will most likely create a bundle with our spring-loaded dock and adjustable guide rails, though (as soon as the guide rails are ready for sale). As for iPhone X, it should fit with a case in our new guide rails (again, not yet available), as that is one of our test phones that we are using while developing. We will be able to ship to Canada as well, although the store is setup for USA orders only as of right now. Send me a PM if you are interested in an international order.

Thanks,
Joe
Skyline

 

[skyline]

Joe,

Product looks great but I still have one concern...one of the issues with the current dock is during rapid acceleration the phone catapults off the dock. I don’t believe your new design addresses this issue (or maybe it does). Can you comment on that issue?

I mean...I know the obvious answer could be...slow down...but I am just trying to be realistic.

Our dock does not have any features to address this issue specifically, however, the adjustable guide rails that we are finishing up now will fixture the phone in place (much like the guides that come with the console/charge dock from the factory) using a spring-loaded mechanism to adapt to different phone sizes/cases. This way you won't have to swap out different inserts for different phone sizes/case sizes.

 

[skyline]

My phone is in a black case - so it doesn't work with Tesla's standard port or side guides. I was able to adjust the docking port by forcing the connector to protrude further and allow it to make a connection with the phone in my case. But I couldn't find a way to adapt Tesla's guides to my phone (which is wider than their guides support).

Until I can find a side guide solution, my temporary fix was to apply two small strips of Velcro to the back of the phone and the flat area on the console above the docking port (cloth side on the phone, hook side on the console). And this provides enough support to keep the phone from flopping off the charger during acceleration.

If the OP's company comes up with side guides that work with my phone in it's case, I'll shift to that - and the velco will easily come off both the case and the console.

Bob,

I saw your email regarding this as well, thanks for writing to us. We are finishing up the design of our adjustable guides, and hope that everyone will like what we came up with. They will allow for different phone widths and varying case thicknesses without having to swap around inserts, and hopefully make the velcro solution a thing of the past!

 

[Kutu]

I use a LifeProof case. Does the dock work? Maybe using a longer Lightning plug?

 

[skyline]

I use a LifeProof case. Does the dock work? Maybe using a longer Lightning plug?

I will PM you! For reference, our design has about 3mm of travel, so any case that has 3mm or less thickness around the connector port should work.

 

[Acho]

Mickie,

We are certainly not trying to ignore anyone, but I wanted to check into the feasibility of the design in that particular console before answering. If anyone with an older style console would be willing to take a few measurements for us, we can look into creating a version for the first generation console folks as well.

I can do the measuring for you. PM me and let me know what has to be measured

 

[caligula666]

Tesla installed mine without the rails without asking me (presumably because I had a case) - I only found later in the glovebox I had them! And during an acceleration, the iPhone moved back and broke the lightning connector at its root! So I can’t use it anymore. Probably the same problem here unless new rails get added. Or wireless charging.

 

[pedram_ma]

I tried to buy online but it seems no shipping to Canada, right?

 

[skyline]

I tried to buy online but it seems no shipping to Canada, right?

Hello,

Currently we are only accepting US orders on our site, but we will be opening up to Canada and UK very soon, I will post an update when that happens!

 

[pedram_ma]

Thanks for quick response
good luck

 

[K-MTG]

Does this work on the 3?

 

[EvolutionTeʂla]

@skyline Thanks for the reply. I don't see the cable for sale separately on the Tesla store website (US or Canada) and my service rep said I'd have to buy the whole phone dock kit to get the cable, so I guess I'll have to buy the full Tesla dock and swap out the connector with yours. I've joined your mailing list so hopefully I can pick up your dock and rails once they're ready to ship to Canada.

 

[CLLACAB]

Which year had the older style premium console. We have a 2013 and had the console installed in 2015. It uses the lightning cable. Will this fit my car?

 

[steve841]

Hope you have a stock ... just ordered a USB C ...

 

[f-stop]

Which year had the older style premium console. We have a 2013 and had the console installed in 2015. It uses the lightning cable. Will this fit my car?

the older Premium Center Console was an optional add-on until sometime in spring 2016, IIRC. I have the older style console in my car (pre-refresh 70D), delivered Dec 2015

Mickie,
We are certainly not trying to ignore anyone, but I wanted to check into the feasibility of the design in that particular console before answering. If anyone with an older style console would be willing to take a few measurements for us, we can look into creating a version for the first generation console folks as well.

@skyline good to hear, as I mentioned above I'd be interested in one of these if it were available for the older premium console, especially once the side guides are also available (the original premium console didn't come with the side guides). I see someone else already offered to measure theirs, but if for some reason you need another measurement let me know.

I did already modify my OEM console dock (using method described elsewhere in TMC, it only took 5-10min and a toothpick) - while that works fine for my phone/case, it doesn't fit some family members'/friends' phones with thicker cases, so the spring-loaded feature of the skyline dock is a great idea.

 

[SucreTease]

We are offering a special Black Friday discount on our products for Tesla Motors Club members, starting now and lasting until Monday! Please use discount code TMCBF17 when ordering to save an additional $5 off our sale price!

Since I missed ordering this before you sold out, can you tell me when will you have them in stock again?