Tesla has offered the first look at the robotic snake that may someday mean Model S owners won’t have to worry about forgetting to charge the car at home.
The prototype for the accessory Elon Musk describes as a “solid metal snake” was shown off within a tweet on Thursday.
The 37-second video, which you can see below, shows the snake bending and weaving its way to a Model S charging port and then plugging itself in.
Musk has previously claimed his snake will also be available for the forthcoming Model X SUV and the yet-to-be-revealed, more affordable Model 3.
Read more: Driverless cars: Everything you need to know
Before pressing ahead with the as-yet-unnamed snake, the firm had trialled a battery-swap scheme that allowed drivers to simply replace the cells at designated locations, rather than wait for them to recharge.
Other firms are experimenting with wireless-charging possibilities for electric cars, but Tesla hasn’t revealed any such plans yet.
Whether the company plans to make the robotic charging solution a consumer product remains to be seen, but the prototype looks rather cool – if a little terrifying.
https://twitter.com/statuses/629305813912326146
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.