Want to find a Wireless Phone charger for you Tesla Model 3 in Australia? Scroll down!
So you have an awesome new Tesla Model 3, and you want a wireless charger to make your new pride and joy feel like the 21st century mode of transportation that it is. There’s no shortage of chargers available – but you also live in Australia, so availability, shipping and all that is just a little bit different. Well, so do I, so here’s the low down on the chargers, how to get them here, and what it costs to do just that.
1. Nomad Wireless Charger for Tesla Model 3
| The Nomad Wireless Charger seems to be a favourite overseas, thanks to its’ snug fit, high build quality, and decent charging speeds. It’s also one of only a few to feature charging lights, so you can tell if your phone is charging without touching the phone. With both USB connections from the Nomad plugged-in, it will charge two Qi capable phones at up to 7.5W each. Note: It originally did this by having an integrated battery, to supply the shortfall between what the Model 3 could supply, and what the phones wanted to draw. The Model 3 now supplies more power, so this internal battery is no longer supplied (but it will not be required in Australian Model 3’s anyway). |  |
 | Nomad Website: https://hellonomad.com/products/tesla-charger Review of 4 wireless phone chargers for the Model 3: 4 Best Wireless Charging Pads for Tesla Model 3 You Can Buy Review by Electrek: https://electrek.co/2018/10/24/review-nomad-wireless-charger-tesla-model-3-video/ |
| The easiest way to get one is to buy directly from the manufacturer, Nomad. It’s not cheap though, at around AU$185 (US$129). And shipping is about what you would expect, at AU$25 (US$17.82). So, fully landed in Australia, you’re looking at around AU$210, depending on the exchange rate. (Note: If you wait for a sale, you can probably save a few bucks. Discount codes for 20%-off have been available in the last year, which would bring down the price by about AU$35. |  |
2. Jeda Wireless Pad – Tesla Model 3 Wireless Phone Charger
| The Jeda charger is another which seems to rate well in reviews. It’s very similar to the Nomad in terms of speed and build quality. There seem to be 1) Landscape orientation. If you want the phone laying in landscape for navigation, the Jeda lets you do this. 2) No LEDs on the Jeda, unlike the Nomad 3) Detachable Cables. Replaceable if they’re broken, and you can run them to the 12V socket if you want to charge at up to 15W. EDIT 20/07/2019: 4) The Jeda also allows for wired charging. If you or someone in your car has a phone without Qi, you can route a USB cable with your preffered connector out the bottom and to the front. Doing so requires a $22 (US$15) spacer – but if you have access to a 3D printer you can print your own for about 40c of filament. |  |
 | Jeda Website: https://getjeda.com/ Review of 4 wireless phone chargers for the Model 3: 4 Best Wireless Charging Pads for Tesla Model 3 You Can Buy CleanTechnica Review: https://cleantechnica.com/2019/02/17/the-jeda-pad-adds-wireless-phone-charging-for-the-tesla-model-3-in-a-slick-package/ |
| So, Australian Pricing and Availability… Direct from the manufacturer it’s ~AU$140 (US$99) plus AU$35 (US$35) shipping. So a total of AU$177 all up. |  |
3. RPM Tesla – Model 3 Dual Qi Wireless Charging Pad Gen. 3
| So, next item in the list – the offering from RPMTesla. They’re a reputable manufacturer of Tesla accessories, so you should be able to expect the same of this offering. Like the Nomad, it has a charging LED and can only support holding phones vertically. It also has a logo at the top, with various options (either the “three lines” hamburger logo, or the Tesla style “3”). |  |
 | RPM Tesla website: https://www.rpmtesla.com/products/model-3-qi-wireless-fast-charging-pad-upgrade-49-w-20-off |
| RPMTesla do ship directly to Australia. It’s ~AU$140 (US$99) plus AU$30 (US$20) shipping. So a total of AU$170 to get one here. Note that if you buy over $150 of gear from RPMTesla, you get 20% off – making it one of the cheaper chargers. |  |
4. Evannex OWL – Dual Qi Wireless Phone Charger for Tesla Model 3
| So Evannex, another manufacturer of EV accessories, have come out with a slightly different offering here – the OWL. They say the name is an acronym for (On-board Wireless Layer), but I feel that’s an afterthought – looking at the charger, those big charging loops make it look like an Owl! As long as it has sufficient input, it can charge at 7.5W like the other units, so nothing exciting technically. Really, if you pick this charger, you’re picking it because you like the look. |  |
 | Evannex website: https://evannex.com/products/qi-wireless-phone-charger-for-tesla-model-3 |
| The OWL is AU$129 (US$89), so it’s on the cheaper end of the scale. Unfortunately it is currently out of stock, so I can’t get a quote for shipping, but based on similar sized items at Evannex I would estimate AU$20. So an estimated total cost of about AU$150. Note that there are discount codes floating around for Evannex, with $10 off codes fairly plentiful, and occasionally discounts as high as 30% off – so keep you eye’s peeled if you like the Owl! |  |
5. Tesla OEM Wireless Phone Charger
| A finally, we have the newest entrant – a Qi wireless charger from Tesla themselves. No tech specs are given, and it’s so new there are no reviews yet, but it claims to have a non-slip silicon surface, and can charge two devices at once. Asthetically, it looks very much like the Nomad, without the charging LEDs. |  |
 | US Tesla store link: https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/vehicle-accessories/model-3-wireless-phone-charger.html |
| This charger comes in at AU$179 (US$125), and Tesla don’t ship internationally from their store. Using a freight forwarder is likely to cost ~$40, so it would be the most expensive option at ~$220. However it is likely Tesla will make it available locally once Model 3s start landing here, likely around the $200 mark (US price + GST). |  |
6. TapTes Wireless Charging Pad
| EDITED 20/07/2019 So TapTes is a new entry to the market. Operating out of Hong Kong, TapTes have released a massive number of Model 3 accessories since appearing a few months ago. |  |
 | The TapTes charger for the Model 3 attempts to combine the best elements of all the other options on the market. The Charging LEDs of the Nomad, the Landscape option of the Jeda, the ability to still use a wired charger, and included splitter for the DashCam and Sentry mode. On Paper, the TapTes seems to tick all the boxes of the favourites above. There were reports of quality issues with the first units, however a Version 2 has replaced the first version, and I haven’t noticed many complaints about this revised unit. |
| The TapTes wireless charger is US$49.99, and shipping is included. For a total of AU$72, this is definitely a contender. |  |
Others
EDIT 20/07/2019: Just a word of warning about the plethora of ‘similar’ chargers being advertised on eBay/Amazon/Wish. Many of these are using images copied from the Nomad/Jeda websites, with the original logo photo-shopped out. When the product arrives it looks nothing like the photos, and the main complaint seems to be that they don’t fit and fall out of place just through regular driving. Based on the discussions on Facebook at TMC, there don’t seem to be too many positive experiences.
You might get lucky, but personally I would just buy the TapTes if the cost of the others is an issue, rather than play roulette with cheaply made knock-offs.
CONCLUSION
Of the five six options above, there’s no clear winner. Summary below:
| Charger | Comments | Total $AU |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nomad | The Nomad seems to be the one that sets the standard. | $210 |
| 2. Jeda | Like the Nomad, without LEDs, but with Landscape mode. | $177 |
| 3. RPM Tesla | Like the Nomad, with Blue LEDs and a logo at the top. | $170 |
| 4. EVANNEX | OWL eyes. Enough said. | $150 |
| 5. Tesla OEM | The priciest option, but guaranteed by Tesla themselves. | $220 |
| 6. TapTes | New player, with a compelling product | $72 |
Personally, I think I’ll be opting for the Jeda. As a future SR+ owner, I’d still like the ability to lay my phone sideways for some Waze. But we still have a few months before they land down here, so I’ll keep my options open until a little closer to August!
EDITED 20/07/2019: The new charger from TapTes comes in $100 under the competition (after shipping) and offers the best features from all of them. I haven’t read through the reviews on Amazon yet, but if they’re positive I’ll be seriously considering the TapTes over the Jeda.
Did I miss something? Leave a comment below!
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