USB-C Type Port For Charging: If everything goes as per the plan, by the autumn of 2024, most of the portable electronic devices in the European Union (EU) will be required to feature the same USB-C type port for charging, the type that the recently launched smartphones use. Apple iPhone is of course an exception.
The common charger goal of the EU is another effort after a provisional agreement was reached by European Parliament and Council negotiators and if it is a seamless transmission, all small and medium-sized portable electronic devices including mobile phones, tablets, and headphones sold in the EU will have to ship with a USB-C charging port as early as the autumn of 2024.
An additional list of twelve electronic product groups including e-readers, portable gaming consoles and cameras will also be obliged to share the universal charging standard across EU territories. Laptops will have to comply with the new ruling 40 months (3.3 years) after it becomes effective.
The aim of the EU’s new law is to make electronic products sold within member states more sustainable and to reduce e-waste while helping consumers carry one single charger for all their devices.
Benefits Of Switching To Type C
With a universal USB-C charger, the EU is aiming to reduce e-waste by as much 1000 tonnes a year and cut excess expenditures on chargers by 250 million euros annually.
Though the new rules cover most devices, from smartphones to portable speakers, already the number of different mobile chargers on the market is down to three from around 30 in 2009. The new rule is set to finally push the market down to one fewer charger type. Already, Apple, the only major holdout, has begun manufacturing devices with USB-C support.
The EU is also proposing that phones and chargers are unbundled or sold separately so consumers can avoid buying unnecessary chargers. The rules are also set to harmonise fast charging technology across companies so consumers can purchase any brand.
