EU Gives Green Light To Universal USB-C Type Chargers By 2024
Spain News
Published: 05 October 2022 13:48 CET
Tech users in Spain and the rest of Europe will be able to use the same charger for their mobile phones, and other tech devices by the end of 2024.
The European Commission announced on Tuesday, October 5 that it had passed the legislation which would enable consumers to use the same ‘USB-C Type’ charger for all electronic devices.
The European Parliament vote on the legislation was almost unanimous with 602 votes in favour, 13 against and 8 abstentions.
The move has been heralded as a great day for tech consumers who will be safe in the knowledge that when they do buy a new device that their existing chargers will be compatible, saving not only money but cutting down on waste.
The legislation will stipulate that all tech devices including smartphones, tablets, digital cameras, games consoles and headphones will have to use USB-C chargers by the end of 2024, however, laptop manufacturers will have until Spring 2026 to make the change.
Apple will have to make changes
A number of tech firms already use the USB-C type technology, however, companies such as Apple, which has around 30% market share in the EU, will be forced to change the outdated lightning port chargers on their iPhones to the new standard if they wish to continue to sell them in Europe.
The iPhone 14 currently uses the Lightning charger, however, the iPhone 15 which is due to be released in 2023 is expected to be the first iPhone to use USB-C type chargers.
The firm already uses the USB-C technology on their MacBooks and iPads.
It is not known at this time whether Apple will change the charging technology on their devices worldwide or just within EU territory.
EU MEPs welcomed the move
EU lawmakers said that the move is expected to save around 250 million euros every year on the unnecessary purchase of chargers and cut down on thousands of tonnes of electronic waste.
Maltese Social Democrat Alex Agius Saliba, who spearheaded the negotiations announced the outcome of the vote with a box full of cables on one side and a USB-C type charger on the other. "This is the past," he said, pointing to the box, "and this is the future," he said, with the new style cable in hand.
"We have waited more than ten years for this law, but the plethora of current chargers will soon be a thing of the past. The regulation allows the development of innovative charging solutions and will benefit everyone, from consumers, fed up with changing chargers, to the environment," he said.
Vice President of the European Commission in charge of Competition, Margrethe Vestager, shared a photo with dozens of tangled cables via her Twitter page saying, "As of autumn 2024 the time when we had to fight with many different chargers will start becoming a memory of old, strange times of unnecessary costs, waste and inconvenience."
Source
https://www.thelocal.es/20221004/a-great-day-for-consumers-in-europe-eu-votes-for-single-smartphone-charger/
https://cadenaser.com/nacional/2022/10/04/el-parlamento-europeo-da-luz-verde-al-cargador-universal-para-moviles-y-otros-aparatos-electronicos-cadena-ser/
