USB-C to become uniform charging cable standard in Europe

Now the EU Parliament still has to agree with the member states - then USB-C could become the sole cable standard.

Uniform charging cables for cell phones and other devices are getting closer. The EU parliamentarians agreed on their position on the project on April 20, 2022: Only USB-C is to be used in Europe. This means that the final negotiations between the European Parliament and the EU member states can now begin.

An agreement could be reached this summer - if successful, the uniform charging cable would probably become a reality in the EU in mid-2024. The positions of the EU member states and the EU Parliament are already quite close on many points. For example, both sides want USB-C to be used uniformly.
A single standard for charging smartphones, laptops or headphones saves resources, avoids thousands of tons of electronic waste and is easy on consumers' wallets, said Anna Cavazzini (Greens), Chair of the Internal Market Committee in the EU Parliament. She said she was pleased that the Parliament was pushing for more smaller devices to be covered by the new rules and also for a uniform standard to be found for wireless charging by 2026.

Question of uniform standard is old

The Commission first raised the charging cable issue more than a decade ago. 14 manufacturers - including Apple - agreed in a voluntary commitment to a uniform standard for cell phone power sockets. When it comes to jacks in smartphones and tablet computers, three now remain: USB-C, Apple's Lightning connector, and Micro-USB on very inexpensive devices. Micro-USB is hardly used anymore, however.

According to the EU Commission, an estimated 11,000 tons of electrical waste are generated annually by disposed and unused chargers. The new rules could save just under 1,000 tons of this.
Apple still uses its several-year-old Lightning connector for its smartphones, but already uses USB-C for its iPads. It is conceivable that the manufacturer would have switched completely to USB-C by 2024 anyway - even for its iPhones and even without the pressure from the EU.

www.golem.de/news/smartphone-und-co-usb-c-soll-einheitlicher-ladekabel-standard-in-europa-werden-2204-164729.html

 

Yes, go USB-C. The amount of extensions it has is already insane (USB-PD, etc.)

 

I figure if setting a standard improves and lowers waste disposal and it can be developed on further without hitting a dead-end, then it is a good call.

 

It's definitely designed for magnet connectors in the near future, those connectors are great for portable devices... also I forget which ones are which but all my USB-C's are Thunderbolt 4, so these day's none of that shit matters anyway, this is the way

 

Good old EU to sort things out for the world.