Tesla Motors and founder Elon Musk have unveiled the “Snakebot autocharger” for the Tesla Model S, a new system for the electric vehicle that will replace its current manual charging methods using auto-detection capabilities, with the charger being able to slot into the car’s input with no direction from the driver.
The prototype takes roughly 30 seconds to go from its upright position to connecting with the Model S and charging it, a process which is oddly unsettling and more than a little bit creepy to watch. Elon Musk himself even commented that the Snakebot’s movement seems “kinda wrong.”
Watch the charger prototype in action below:
Charger prototype finding its way to Model S. https://t.co/L9E4MR642G
— Tesla Motors (@TeslaMotors) August 6, 2015
The unveiling of the automatic charger is the second high-profile announcement regarding the Tesla Model S in the past two weeks, with the company previously revealing how a new software update was being readied that would introduce autonomous capabilities to the vehicle. These new self-driving features will allow the Model S to autosteer and acknowledge markings in the roads, with Musk stating that it would be able to “learn” the differences between markings signifying the divide between lanes and skid marks.
