Thelife- It is possible to charge an electric car while driving.
- But only in very specific situations in highly controlled environments.
One of the biggest reasons more people don't own electric cars like a Tesla is charging. They're afraid of running out of juice and are concerned about the lack of charging locations in the US as compared to gas stations.
However, there are ways to charge your Tesla without stopping to charge — some more realistic than others.
Can I charge my Tesla while driving?
It is possible to charge a Tesla while driving, kind of.
One YouTuber's experiment involved a gas generator to power his Tesla Model S during an 1,800-mile road trip through the Midwest without stopping to plug in. (He did have to stop for gas, ironically).
But it wasn't the magical solution to range anxiety and lengthy charges. The Tesla Model S, which has an EPA range rating of 405 miles, sucked more energy than the gas generator could produce, Insider's Tim Levin reported. Matt Mikka, who published the multi-year experiment on his channel, Warped Perception, said he had to park for up to six hours per day while the car charged — and even once got pulled over for driving too slowly on the highway as he tried to keep energy consumption low.
Can I use electric roads to charge my Tesla?
Luckily, there are some better options in the work to still be gas-free.
Electreon, an Israeli startup founded in 2013, is working to build roads that can wirelessly charge moving electric vehicles, a technology that could theoretically eliminate the need for lengthy pit stops or plugging in.
In a demonstration of the technology's potential, the startup drove an electric Toyota Rav4 Prime — a plug-in hybrid vehicle — for 1,207 miles on a test track without stopping. That's about five times farther than a normal EV can travel on a full charge.
In 2022, Electreon announced plans to build a mile-long stretch of road embedded with its technology in Detroit that will be able to charge cars as they drive, so long as they install a special receiver. It's expected to be functional sometime in 2023.
Can I charge my Tesla with solar panels?
While a few startups and automakers have toyed with the idea of installing solar panels on a car to charge while driving, it's likely to be a while before they could generate enough power to run the car on their own.
Hyundai's Sonata Hybrid experiment in 2019, for example, could add about 1,300 kilometers per year to the car's range, the company estimated. Aptera, a startup, in 2023 said it was working on a futuristic car with a 400-mile range that could travel 40 miles on built-in solar panels.
More realistically, it's possible to charge your Tesla using solar panels on your roof — a product Tesla also sells. The product line has been growing in importance to the company's bottom line each year, and in 2022 Tesla reported installation of 348 megawatts of solar capacity.
Tesla also sells inverters and energy storage so that your home can be powered — and your car charged — regardless of the weather. Musk has long said Tesla's goal is to support a clean-energy future on all fronts, not just transportation.
Can I swap my Tesla battery?
A handful of companies are working on battery-swapping technology that could make getting a fully charged battery as fast as getting gas, but it's yet to catch on in the US as much as it has elsewhere.
Tesla does not offer battery swapping as a service, and its cars appear to need battery replacements less often than some other electric cars.
Do Tesla cars come with a power cord?
Tesla no longer includes charging cables with cars because, according to Musk, they're rarely used.
The company sells a home charger that, depending on your home's wiring, could add up to 44 miles per hour of charge. With a regular outlet, you should expect only about 10 per hour, but you can also get an electrician to install a more powerful electric car charging plug.
Tesla also sells a mobile connector for charging on the go that comes with an adapter to fit standard household plugs wherever you are.