For an unknown amount of money, Tesla bought a German company that specializes in wireless charging technologies.
A deal like this usually comes with a release that explains everything, but neither Tesla nor the German company Wiferion have said anything about the agreement. Wiferion is now part of “Tesla Engineering Germany GmbH,” which is something we know for sure. The purchase price has not been disclosed, however, Tesla’s most recent earnings report lists $76 million under “Business Combinations”.
Drive Tesla Canada claims Wiferon has designed and built inductive charging systems for transportation systems, trucks, and robots. Changes made to the German Commercial Registry since Tesla bought the company show that it will now focus more on “products and services in the field of power electronics and other technical disciplines to support the advancement of electric vehicles and stationary energy storage systems and devices.”
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Tesla has been open about its recent work on wireless charging options for its electric vehicles, and most people think that it will use Wiferon’s experience to make its own system better.
At March’s Investor Day, Rebecca Tinucci, Tesla’s head of Global Charging Infrastructure, presented a picture showing a Model S parked over what looked like an inductive charging pad. This was a hint at the company’s wireless charging system.
The news of Tesla’s latest purchase comes soon after a group of automakers, including BMW Group, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz Group, and Stellantis, announced they would work together to build a charging network in North America to compete with Tesla Superchargers. In the U.S. and Canada, at least 30,000 chargers with CCS and NACS connections and charging rates of 350 kW to 400 kW will be installed.
