Tesla may charge Cybercabs wirelessly

Tesla may charge its driverless taxis, the Cybercabs, wirelessly. The US regulatory authority Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved the operation of the inductive charging stations that Tesla intends to install.

The wireless charging stations are an important element in Tesla's system for autonomous taxis. So far, charging still requires human assistance: a person must manually connect the vehicles to a charging station. With the wireless stations, Tesla could set up a fully automated service around the clock.

A Cybercab is initially supposed to locate such a charging pad via Bluetooth. When it approaches, the vehicle communicates with the charging pad via the Ultra Wide Band (UWB) radio standard. The charging pad directs the robotaxi so that the coils in the vehicle and in the charging pad are aligned with each other. The charging process is then to take place wirelessly via induction.

FCC grants exemption

Since UWB is a radio standard, this falls under the responsibility of the FCC. The authority has granted Tesla a corresponding exemption-- an exemption because UWB is reserved for use in portable devices. Fixed UWB devices are prohibited by FCC rules.

In the approval, the regulatory authority points out that the communication between the vehicle and the charging pad is only short, according to Tesla's application, and the signals also only occur close to the ground. Finally, the vehicle's bodywork above the pad shields the signals.

This clears the way for the FCC for a completely autonomous taxi service with the Cybercab presented in 2024. Series production of the driverless vehicles is scheduled to start this year.

(wpl)