Tesla has confirmed that the Cybertruck will not get wireless charging, despite the truck already being equipped with the required hardware connectors.
When Tesla launched the Cybertruck in 2023, the company made no mention of wireless charging, even though the company had confirmed earlier that year the feature was in development. However, service manuals revealed the Cybertruck was equipped with inductive charger headers, hinting at future support for wireless charging.
Despite this, Tesla has now confirmed that the feature has been abandoned. Wes Morrill, the Cybertruck’s lead engineer, explained that the decision was driven by fundamental physics and efficiency limitations.
Wireless charging relies on alignment between a coil in the ground and one in the vehicle. The larger the gap between the two coils, the lower the efficiency, resulting in wasted energy and slower charging times. Even though the Cybertruck has air suspension, which can lower the truck to 8″ off the ground, this is still too high to make wireless charging practical.
In a conversation on Discord, Morrill put it bluntly, saying that “wireless charging for something as far off the ground as the CT is silly,” adding that a taller base station was impractical. (via Electrek)
While Cybertruck won’t be getting wireless charging, other vehicles in Tesla’s lineup may still receive the feature. Drive Tesla has seen evidence of feature being tested in the latest generation of the refresh Model X, however the service manuals for that vehicle make no mention of inductive charging connectors, like it did for the Cybertruck.
Tesla has also confirmed wireless charging will come with the Cybercab, but that is still a year or two away from being released.
While it remains to be seen when Tesla will release their wireless charging system, Porsche may beat them to punch. The German automaker announced this week that the electric Cayenne will come with optional wireless charging next year.
