Tesla owner makes the ‘solid metal snake’ self-charging system that Elon Musk promised

Tesla owners are a resourceful bunch — and while they wait for the Model 3 to start shipping, they’ve got some time on their hands. Today, that resourcefulness has led to an autonomous charging system spotted by Electrek that will automatically guide the Model S’s charging cable into the waiting receptacle, no human intervention required. It’s agonizingly slow, but hey, you don’t have to touch the cable or plug in the connector, which — let’s be honest — can be a laborious process and a huge hassle.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because the idea came from Tesla’s Elon Musk himself, who teased a similar system in 2014; the company released a demo video of it last year, but we haven’t heard anything about it since then. For what it’s worth, Tesla’s prototype — a “solid metal snake,” to quote Musk — was a whole lot creepier to watch. This fan-made version seems a little less threatening.

The “Evtron,” as inventor Deepak Mital calls it, is controlled with a Raspberry Pi and swings in from one side before sliding forward to make the connection with the car. (The Model S already has a charging port that can open itself, so there wasn’t any work needed there.) He’s planning on offering it, so you might be able to get this in your garage before Tesla does. Bad news for solid metal snakes everywhere, but possibly good news for humanity.