Tesla upgrades US-made Model 3 with wireless charger and USB-C ports

Tesla has upgraded Model 3 vehicles built at Fremont Factory in the US with features first introduced in Model Y and Chinese-made Model 3 vehicles, like a wireless phone charger and USB-C ports.

For the most part, the Model Y’s interior is extremely similar to Model 3, aside from the bigger cargo space and the eventual third-row seats.

Tesla started Model Y deliveries in March, and when the automaker delivered the first few units, we were surprised to learn that the new electric SUV came standard with a Qi wireless phone charger.

In Model 3, it is only sold as an aftermarket item and doesn’t come standard with the electric car.

Model Y also comes with USB-C ports unlike Model 3.

Last month, Tesla added those features to Model 3 vehicles built in China.

At the time, we speculated that Tesla would also bring the features to Model 3 vehicles built in Fremont, which was shut down at the time due to the pandemic.

Now we learn that Tesla has indeed updated Model 3 vehicles made in the US with the Qi wireless phone charger and USB-C ports.

Bryan Finnegan took delivery of a new Model 3 this week and confirmed that the electric car is now equipped with the new features.

He shared a few pictures of his new Tesla Model 3 with Electrek:

It is one of the rare customer-facing hardware upgrades on Model 3 since Tesla launched the vehicle in 2017.

Solutions for current Tesla Model 3 owners

For those who have an older Model 3 and want a wireless phone charger, you can order the same one Tesla has now made standard on the car. Some prefer Jeda’s wireless charger for Model 3, since it’s $25 cheaper and enables charging while keeping the phone in landscape.

Obviously, there’s no way to change your ports to USB-C ports, but you can get Jeda’s Model 3 USB Hub to get more ports, including USB-C, while also hiding a storage drive for Sentry Mode and Teslacam.

It helps keep your center console neat while using all of Tesla’s features.