Wireless charger options

[Bradbomb]

Well, I find it hilarious that people are paying $150 (or even $100) for a $5 rubber pad with embedded Qi chargers worth maybe $20. I'm thrifty by nature, I guess. IMO Nomad and Jeda are currently just milking the early adopters. Given how easy these things are to make, I'm sure there will be less expensive options in the next few months. Until then, the wired charging works just fine for me.
How much faster is the Nomad pad really compared to e.g. the Jeda or a DYI solution with off the shelf Qi pads?

FYI, I started out with the $5.00 Qi thin pad solution. It does not work underneath the OEM pad well. I have it floating on top of the OEM pad and it works, but since its above the pad, my phone moves around a lot and can fall into the center console (iPhone X with Case). I ordered the Nomad because I want a clean solution and I went with them because I have other products from them for my Apple Watch. RPMTesla's product is the same as the $5.00 Qi pad I ordered separately with a replacement mat that they won't even sell separately without the charger. I didn't order Jeda because I never heard of them before this product and their solution involves an extra battery externally for faster charging

 

[voip-ninja]

Not really, because I know first hand how much R&D effort goes into making a phone.
Well, that's the first thing I'd like to know before I put a potential fire hazard into my car.

You can inquire with them on what industry certifications their device passed if this is really a concern of yours.

 

[dendenyc]

I like the stock look of the Jeda and Nomad, I rocked out with the DIY Qi pads for a while but they were just ugly in my car. Both the Jeda and Nomad (I have both) work well and has that factory look that I like.

Im selling my Jeda at a discount in case anyone's interested.

 

[voip-ninja]

I like the stock look of the Jeda and Nomad, I rocked out with the DIY Qi pads for a while but they were just ugly in my car. Both the Jeda and Nomad (I have both) work well and has that factory look that I like.

Im selling my Jeda at a discount in case anyone's interested.

Since you're one of the few who have both can you comment on charge speed differences between the two? It seems that's a common question that gets asked when people are trying to justify the higher cost of the Nomad.

 

[SeasonedTech]

I ordered the Jeda wireless pad (still waiting for it) because it allows the Tesla charger cable mount to still be used whereas the Nomad doesn't. This is good if your passenger doesn't have wireless charging. The Nomad does have a larger bottom lip to prevent the phone from dropping into the block hole. But from this YouTube video review of the Jeda, the phone stays put quite well. The same YouTube'r reviewed the Nomad as well.

 

[dendenyc]

Since you're one of the few who have both can you comment on charge speed differences between the two? It seems that's a common question that gets asked when people are trying to justify the higher cost of the Nomad.

I have an iPhone Xs and I can confirm the nomad does charge faster. If someone can point me to an app that shows current draw I'd compare the two and post results.

 

[voip-ninja]

I ordered the Jeda wireless pad (still waiting for it) because it allows the Tesla charger cable mount to still be used whereas the Nomad doesn't. This is good if your passenger doesn't have wireless charging. The Nomad does have a larger bottom lip to prevent the phone from dropping into the block hole. But from this YouTube video review of the Jeda, the phone stays put quite well. The same YouTube'r reviewed the Nomad as well.

Another solution to this problem is just use the rear USB ports for those passengers that want to charge their phone that doesn't have wireless charging. The location of the rear USB ports makes them pretty usable by the front passenger seat.

 

[Bradbomb]

I ordered 8/16 and have not received mine

I just got a shipping notification, yay!

 

[ootramon]

Thanks for the insight, ordered a Nomad. Can't wait for it to arrive.

 

[eprosenx]

For me the integrated battery in the Nomad pad is actually one reason (besides the outrageous price) why I didn't order it. For safety reasons I'd prefer a pad without battery, even if the charging is a little slower (and if the speed really bothers you, you could still feed it from the 12V outlet further back in the center console). I'm curious about the rumored Jeda pad version 2 ...

Yes! Totally agree.

Needing to have a battery in the charging pad is a horrible hack. Charging a battery from the car battery in order to charge a battery in your cell phone is just dumb. The real solution here is Tesla needs to upgrade their USB charge circuitry to support as many of the modern charging standards altogether as possible (or offer multiple modules where you can chose which fast charge tech you want need to support). The actual chips to do this charging work are cheap an available in mass quantities. Maybe partner with Anker if Tesla just wants to license the design for a faster time to market... FWIW, clearly USB-C with Power Delivery is the future, though we may need some "bridge" options to get us there (i.e. still supporting Apple's proprietary 2.4a 5v stuff, and Qualcomm Quickcharge, etc...)

I predict Tesla will start shipping upgraded USB power modules in new M3's and folks will likely be able to buy them for their older cars to upgrade. It is kind of silly that they shipped such low output USB ports in such a modern car. This is a major product miss.

I should also mention that the amount of power you can charge with wirelessly is quite limited. I use it every night to charge my iPhone overnight which is perfect. I also want it in the car to basically just keep the phone charged while I am driving and using for Waze (yeah, Tesla does not have the best turn-by turn directions so I usually have both running). So Tesla needs to up the game on their chargers, but with a wireless pad you still won't be able to charge all that fast.

If I really do need to top up my phone quickly while driving I will just plug it in. This is where I really want the built in chargers to support the fast charge standards.

Oh, and Tesla should make their own wireless charging pad. That is the *perfect* spot for a wireless charger and everyone that matters seems to have coalesced around Qi.

P.S. It is also dumb that you can't plug in a decent 12v charger in the center console and run the cable up to where the phone needs to sit. The tolerances on closing the center bin are too tight and there is no notch to run a cable though. Way to make the M3 hard to support future updated charging standards with 3rd party chargers... The cell phone tech is moving much faster than car tech (even Tesla car tech).

 

[EVnut]

The real solution here is Tesla needs to upgrade their USB charge circuitry ....
I predict Tesla will start shipping upgraded USB power modules in new M3's and folks will likely be able to buy them for their older cars to upgrade. It is kind of silly that they shipped such low output USB ports in such a modern car.

Great news. With V9 of the software, the front USB ports now support at least 2A of power. Nothing else needed to buy.

In the meantime, on the Nomad site, there is no more mention of a battery inside of their wireless chargers....

 

[BobAbooey]

Great news. With V9 of the software, the front USB ports now support at least 2A of power. Nothing else needed to buy.

In the meantime, on the Nomad site, there is no more mention of a battery inside of their wireless chargers....

From Nomadks website......

• Gen 2 of Wireless Charger
  • Due to a firmware update on the Model 3, the front USB ports output more watts so the battery is no longer necessary in achieving dual 7.5W wireless charging. Your phones will charge just as fast with Gen 2 as it does with Gen 1, there is no difference in performance. We replaced the battery with a steel core to keep the product weighted.

 

[EVnut]

From Nomadks website......

• Gen 2 of Wireless Charger
  • Due to a firmware update on the Model 3, the front USB ports output more watts so the battery is no longer necessary in achieving dual 7.5W wireless charging. Your phones will charge just as fast with Gen 2 as it does with Gen 1, there is no difference in performance. We replaced the battery with a steel core to keep the product weighted.

There it is! I just came back to post this as well.

 

[mfrey]

I have version 9 and just measured the front USB ports while my iPhone was plugged in. Still just pulling 5v and 1.5A.

 

[KenF]

I have version 9 and just measured the front USB ports while my iPhone was plugged in. Still just pulling 5v and 1.5A.

Perhaps it varies by version? There at least 3 versions of V9 out now.

 

[mfrey]

Actually. 5v by 1.5 amps is 7.5W so I guess that is correct.

 

[voip-ninja]

From Nomadks website......

• Gen 2 of Wireless Charger
  • Due to a firmware update on the Model 3, the front USB ports output more watts so the battery is no longer necessary in achieving dual 7.5W wireless charging. Your phones will charge just as fast with Gen 2 as it does with Gen 1, there is no difference in performance. We replaced the battery with a steel core to keep the product weighted.

Doesn’t look like they lowered the price to account for eliminating the battery.

They should put a hub in it and a couple of USB ports for thumb drives.

 

[EVnut]

Actually. 5v by 1.5 amps is 7.5W so I guess that is correct.

Right. It all depends on how much current you can pull. The front ports have been shown to supply at least 2A now. But that doesn't mean that every device can or will pull that much current.

 

[EVnut]

Doesn’t look like they lowered the price to account for eliminating the battery.

They should put a hub in it and a couple of USB ports for thumb drives.

Agreed on all accounts.

 

[jfrieden]

Anyone know anything about this brand? Looks like a knockoff of the Nomad: Wireless Phone Charger / Pad for Tesla Model 3