Tesla Claims Cybercab Wireless Charging Exceeds 90% Efficiency

The claim was made on Saturday after tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, better known as MKBHD, highlighted the “massive heat waste” in wireless charging systems in a post on X, claiming that a “noble goal” in wireless charging for electric vehicles (EVs) would only reach “maybe 75 percent efficiency.”

In response, Tesla plainly stated that the system’s “efficiency is well above 90 percent,” eliciting an eyes emoji from Brownlee. “I stand corrected. Can’t wait for it to ship,” Brownlee wrote, after being encouraged to say more by another user.

The news comes after Tesla’s “We, Robot” event earlier this month, during which Elon Musk said that the newly unveiled Cybercab would be charged wirelessly with inductive charging, instead of including an NACS port. Tesla also showed a Cybercab charging at 19kW at 35 state-of-charge (SoC), outpacing the roughly 11.5kW offered by the company’s Wall Connector.

Before the event, some expected wireless charging to play an important role in the robotaxi system, given that the company also patented a wireless charging pad in September. Tesla also patented the automatic cleaning system that would later go on to be teased alongside the inductive charger.

In a video shared by Tesla on Thursday, the automaker shows a vehicle with 25kW of charging power and highlights its focus on autonomy, including driving, cleaning, and charging, with the Cybercab now expected to be able to be operated with “no hands required.”

Tesla was also thought to be getting into wireless charging as early as last year, when the company acquired wireless charging company Wiferion, which had been rumored leading up to the news. The company would later go on to sell Wiferion, though it has kept some of the company’s engineers who came onboard with the acquisition.