Tesla Announces Unlimited Overnight Home Charging, Teases Wireless Charger

Tesla is already offering services that no other carmakers can match, which prompts the question of whether it is a car company after all. Thanks to its extensive Supercharger network, Tesla is a utility company that resells electricity to its customers. And it's also an energy company generating and storing electricity thanks to its solar power systems and Megapack storage batteries. Last but not least, Tesla helps its customers use electricity efficiently thanks to its Powerwall home batteries.

Powerwall and solar integration has allowed Tesla customers to participate in so-called Virtual Power Plants (VPP), making money from selling electricity to the grid and stabilizing it in the process. Still, Tesla wants a bigger piece of the pie, so it launched Tesla Electric last December. The service allows users with a Powerwall to actively and automatically buy electricity when it's cheaper and sell it to the grid when it's most expensive, thus optimizing their electricity costs.

During Investor Day, Tesla announced a new unlimited overnight charging plan with Tesla Electric. The plan costs $30 per month and allows Tesla Electric customers to charge their Teslas for free. It will launch in July and be available to select Tesla owners in Texas with a Powerwall and a home with retail electricity choice. This is available now in homes in Houston and Dallas metropolitan areas. Tesla claims it can offer the plan because it also operates wind farms, and wind energy is available at night.

Still, Texas enjoys low electricity rates, and there are free overnight plans already. It is unclear how Tesla would convince owners to sign up, but we're sure they've done their homework. Tesla said during the presentation that people who use solar and Powerwall with grid integration save half of the normal electricity bill. This should help lower ownership costs even further for Tesla owners.

Another interesting detail was dropped during Investor Day, more like an easter egg at the end of a keynote. Rebecca Tinucci, head of global charging infrastructure, dropped the mic while she concluded her presentation with a "Can't Forget To Do Cool S***" slide. The image showed a Supercharger station with a diner and a home garage with what appears to be a wireless charging pad underneath a Tesla Model S.

Considering the Supercharger diner is already in the works in California, people went crazy about the wireless charger system. Could Tesla be working on such a solution? Wireless charging is less efficient and doesn't address any real problem – plugging your car into a charger is simple enough. If Tesla does indeed considers a wireless charger, it might be because it found a way to make it more efficient. Or maybe Tesla wants an easy solution for automated charging in the case of a Tesla robotaxi? We'd love to hear your opinion.