Wednesday, October 5th 2022
USB-C Chargers Are the Future: European Union Signs Common Charging Standard Into Law
From 2024, all mobile devices in the European Union will have to use USB-C as the standard charging port, courtesy of a new law that was passed by the European Parliament. This means that mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems and earbuds, all have to sport a USB-C port for charging in the near future. Many of these devices already do, with the main exception being Apple, although many lower-end devices still rely on micro USB, due to the lower cost. The European Parliament voted 602 in favour of the new law, with only 13 parliamentarians being against and eight that abstained, which shows that most EU nations were in favour of the move.
From 2026, laptops which adhere to the USB PD 3.0 standard, i.e. up to 100 Watts, will be required to charge via USB-C as well. As such, it seems like the EU didn't enforce support for USB PD 3.1, which goes up to 240 Watts. The EU is also planning on enforcing a common wireless charging standard, which is expected to come into effect by the end of 2024. It's not clear which standard will be chosen, but it's highly likely to be the Qi standard, as it's the most commonly used wireless charging standard.
Source:
The European Parliament
From 2026, laptops which adhere to the USB PD 3.0 standard, i.e. up to 100 Watts, will be required to charge via USB-C as well. As such, it seems like the EU didn't enforce support for USB PD 3.1, which goes up to 240 Watts. The EU is also planning on enforcing a common wireless charging standard, which is expected to come into effect by the end of 2024. It's not clear which standard will be chosen, but it's highly likely to be the Qi standard, as it's the most commonly used wireless charging standard.
105 Comments on USB-C Chargers Are the Future: European Union Signs Common Charging Standard Into Law
That said, most small chargers/power adapters today are quite efficient.
If you're interested, this guy tests a lof of chargers, he has even tested some older models if you want to compare.
www.youtube.com/c/AllThingsOnePlaceThe new EU law requires USB PD compatible charging, so it has to be C-C.
Edit: according to the current EU requirement ("Level VI", or EU Commission regulation 2019/1782), external AC-DC power supplies with an output power below 50W can at most consume .1W with no load connected, and those with an output power at or above 50W can at most consume .21W with no load connected. If I'm reading this correctly, this regulation also bans the sale of non-Level VI-compliant chargers in the EU since April 1st 2020.
Vampire power is definitely a thing, but it's massively overblown as a problem, at least in somewhat regulated areas. (And there are some "reports" on its magnitude and cost that are nothing more than weird propaganda by other polluting industries trying to shift attention away from themselves.)
Apple though makes feature phones.
USB-C can do 48V/5A.
EU proves once again that, although it doesn't act nearly as fast as it should, it still has some teeth.Chargers moved to usb-c in a show of malicious compliance with previous rules. They could have ditched lightning completely at the exact same time but they choose not to.They have a provision to move to a new standard once that exists. But USB-C is here to stay for the next couple years at least, no reason to continue shipping stuff with older connectors out of corporate lazyness.
Rumours have held for awhile Apple also wanted/wants to go full wireless. The ironically slow Lightning connector gave the reasoning for wireless-only charging and connection some purchase. That said, I'll take a cable connection any day.