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Tesla's Creepy 'Solid Metal Snake' Robotic Charger Slithers Its Way Into Model S
bigwophh writes: Last year, Elon Musk hinted at a new product that Tesla Motors was working on in its research lab. What Musk described seemed creepy at the time, especially considering that he had just recently shown off "The D" at an evening press event. "By the way, we are actually working on a charger that automatically moves out from the wall and connects like a solid metal snake," said Musk. We didn't think much else about this intriguing contraption given the precious little details that Musk provided at the time. But fast forward seven months and we now have video of the serpent-like charger in action.
Ultimately the advantage of something like this is better charge times. If you wanted to charge a Tesla in five or ten minutes you'd need a cable that's too heavy and unwieldy for manual use.
The use for this is clearly not for you but for the car. Once the car is self driving, this will allow it to run off down the street, find a charging station, and plug itself in while it waits for you to need it again.