The Tesla Model 3 is an amazing car, there's really little to debate about that. It's a beautiful design, lightning-quick and packed with the latest tech available. However, for some reason, Tesla decided not to equip the Model 3 with a wireless charging pad. 

So when we posted our Tesla Model 3 Must-Have Accessories, number one on the list was a wireless charging pad. 

There are a number of options available on the market today, including one offered by Tesla on the accessory page of their website. However, Jeda Products reached out to us and offered to send us a sampling of their products for review. We accepted and asked for the wireless charging pad and the new USB hub that they recently introduced. 

It's important to note that this isn't a sponsored ad - we're free to offer an honest review since we're not being paid by Jeda to post this. 

The Jeda Wireless Charging Pad: $99

This is actually the second-generation pad that Jeda has offered. The original pad didn't look as good or fit the console as well as the second generation, which is constructed of premium quality thermoplastic. Once in place, the pad looks like it's part of the car, not an aftermarket device. The Jeda pad allows for two Qi-device compatible phones to charge at once, but it also has a feature not available on any other pad that I could find, the ability to charge one phone horizontally. 

Jeda Wireless Charging Pad
The Jeda pad allows for horizontal, as well as vertical, smartphone charging.

The top surface is designed to prevent the phones from sliding around and has three times as much grip as the 1st generation pad. There are four circular notches on the bottom of the pad that fits perfectly in the depressions in the Model 3’s console, holding it securely in place. 

The pad is designed to connect to the Model 3’s two USB ports and can deliver 7.5-watts to each side, even when two phones are charging simultaneously. You can increase the charge rate to 15-watts, by plugging the Jeda pad into the car’s 12-volt power supply.

Jeda Wireless Charging Pad
Each side of the Jeda Wireless Charging Pad requires a micro-USB connection. You simply feed the wires through the two holes in the tray and plug them in to the bottom of the pad.

Since both sides of the pad require a USB to micro-USB cable, they utilize both of the USB ports in the center console of the Model 3. That creates a problem if you need one of the USB ports for your USB Drive to record TeslaCam and Sentry Mode video. However, Jeda now has a solution, they offer a USB hub which has three USB-A ports, and two USB-C ports. 

If your phone is a non-Qi device, the Jeda pad allows for wired charging also, however, a spacer is needed.

"Our unique design makes the Tesla Model 3 Wireless Charger compatible with non-Qi devices. If you would like to keep one side of the Model 3 Phone Charging Pad wired if your passenger doesn’t have a Qi-compatible phone, you can do so. In order to use the wired dock, a Jeda Spacer (Tesla Model 3 spacer) is necessary."
Jeda USB hub

The Jeda USB Hub $79

As mentioned above, if you want to use both sides of the Jeda charging pad, you need to use both USB ports in the console of your Model 3. But that means you don't have a spare port for your USB drive for your TeslaCam recordings, and we know you want those recording. 

Never fear, Jeda now offers a USB hub that has three USB-A ports and two USB-C ports. This allows the user to have both sides of the Jeda pad operational and still save your TeslaCam and Sentry Mode recordings. 

"You can use the two USB-A connectors to power your Jeda Wireless pad (Tesla Model 3 Wireless Charger) while you can use one of the USB-C connectors to keep a wired connection on the Jeda Wireless Pad in case your passenger doesn’t have wireless charging on their phone. The Jeda USB Hub will still have an open connection for your storage device to use Dashcam and SentryMode and one free USB port for music or a game controller."

 

Plus, there's a bonus. The third USB port is in a storage compartment that's hidden by a magnetic door. You can plug in your SSD or a USB flash drive and there's even a little room left over to hide something small in there. Once the door is closed, an intruder would never to think it opens, unless he was familiar with the product. Therefore, your Sentry Mode recording of the event and anything you stored in there would be safe. 

When all three USB ports in the hub are being used (both sides of the pad and a USB drive recording TeslaCam), the passenger's side of the pad will lose 0.4A of power, so it will charge slightly slower. However, the driver's side of the pad will never be de-rated, and always offer the full charging power. 

Jeda Wireless Charging Pad
Jeda USB hub with the door to the hidden compartment removed
Jeda Wireless Charging Pad
Once the door is in place, the items behind it are safe and sound

Like the charging pad, the USB hub feels like it's made very well. It fits snugly into place; it's actually so tight in there I don't believe it could ever come loose. The hub looks and feels like it is a permanent part of the car, not an added piece of equipment.

Jeda Wireless Charging Pad
The back of the Jeda USB Hub plugs perfectly into the Model 3's two USB ports

Recommended?

I expected both of these products to work well and they do. I really wasn't sure how the fit and finish would be or if they would integrate into the vehicle well. There so many aftermarket items for the Model 3 now, you really need to make sure you do your research and find quality products. 

The first generation Jeda pad wasn't a great product, it didn't fit that well and slid around a bit while the driver was turning. There were reports of phones sliding down into the lower console from time to time. The good news is Jeda corrected all of these issues with V2, and it's now a high-quality charging pad. 

It has the ability to charge a phone while it's laying horizontally in the tray, and that can be useful if the driver prefers to use a navigation app like Waze, instead of Tesla's built-in navigation system. 

The hub offers the flexibility of additional ports, which are needed if you want to use both sides of the pad and record your TeslaCam, as well as the secret hidden compartment. It fits in perfectly, is easy to install and looks like it's part of the car. 

If I can find any fault it would be that since it's a new product, we don't know how reliable it is and if it will last long. I'll be using both the pad and the hub in my Model 3 so if there are any long term issues, I'll update this post. 

That said, I can absolutely recommend both of these products. They are reasonably priced, seem to be made very well, they work as advertised and look like they are part of the car, not an add-on. If you have either of these products, or even a gen 1 version of the Jeda pad let us know your thoughts on the products in the comments section below.  

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