Our first project for the Tesla aftermarket is focused on phone charging. We love the fact that there is a factory charging dock in the Model S and X, but we quickly realized there was room for improvement. We heard from many people that they simply do not use the charging dock because it requires them to remove their phone case every time they want to use it.
The factory Model S and X integrated center console phone dock.
We think it would be a lot better if you could use the dock without having to remove your case every time you want to charge your phone. The problem behind this issue is that many cases add an extra few millimeters of thickness around the connector port. While this usually does not cause any issues if you are charging with a cable, it can become problematic for docks that are not designed for this extra thickness. This is exactly the problem that occurs in the factory center console dock design.
No dice. The case thickness prevents the cable from fully connecting.
We began our design process with a few goals in mind. We wanted to make a dock that would allow charging with a case, while also maintaining the original aesthetic. We also wanted to make sure that our design would not require any modifications (cutting, gluing, etc.) to the car. We created a 3D CAD environment of the console, and began modeling our concepts.
After many iterations, several dozen prototypes, and lots of testing, we finally produced a design that met all of our goals. We had designed a mechanism to automatically adapt to cases, while maintaining the OEM look, and requiring no modifications to install! Our auto-adjusting base will adapt to a phone case, using a spring mechanism to expose the exact amount of the charging connector that is required.
Skyline auto-adjusting phone dock - case friendly!
The auto-adjusting phone dock for Tesla Model S/X is available now, and we have a case-friendly USB-C version available as well!
View our whole product lineup here:
https://www.helloskyline.com/collections/all
We are working on many new Tesla accessories, and we are excited to also start working on some products for Model 3 as well! If you are interested in staying updated on our products, sign up for email updates on our site and we will keep you posted on our latest creations!