GM to add wireless charging for smartphones to some cars from next year

By Trevor Mogg August 22, 2013

gm to add wireless charging for smartphones some cars from next year powermat — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Incorporating wireless charging mats into tables in coffee shops and fast food restaurants is all well and good, but inside a car? Yeah, that makes real sense.

Drivers with a handset fast running out of juice may be reluctant to pull over to sort out their device, choosing instead to risk life and limb by fiddling with the cables and connections while driving along at speed. Much better to simply place it on a charging surface, right?

Recommended Videos

Ran Poliakine, chief executive officer of Powermat, told Bloomberg this week that a number of GM cars will hit the market next year offering wireless charging for compatible mobile devices – or those inside a case offering the functionality.

The fact that GM is using Powermat for the wireless technology comes as no surprise – the automaker is an investor in the company.

As Bloomberg pointed out, GM won’t be the first car manufacturer to incorporate wireless charging technology into its vehicles, as both Toyota and Chrysler have from this year been offering similar systems in several of their cars.

The Detroit-based car company confirmed that it’s working to bring Powermat’s technology to its vehicles, but “for competitive reasons” declined to name which cars or precisely when it will happen.

Competing systems

Wireless charging has been around for years but still hasn’t really taken off, partly because an industry standard is still yet to emerge. The Wireless Power Consortium’s Qi charging technology has gathered a lot of support, with more than 150 companies – including Samsung, Nokia, HTC and Sony – pushing for it to become the global standard. Google’s new Nexus 7 is, incidentally, Qi compatible.

According to analytics firm IHS, the technology could really take off in the next couple of years, with the company forecasting that global shipments of devices capable of wireless charging will skyrocket from 5 million units in 2012 to a colossal 100 million by 2015. For those sick of lugging around a mass of knotted cables and wires for their myriad of devices, widespread use of the technology can’t come a day too soon.

[Image: Powermat]

Topics

Mobile

Contributing Editor

Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…

Cars

Scout Traveler and Scout Terra forge a new path for EVs

Scout Traveler and Scout Terra.

Electric vehicles are inseparable from newness, whether it’s new tech, new designs, or new companies like Rivian, Lucid, and Tesla. But the Volkswagen Group’s new EV-only brand also relies heavily on the past.

Unveiled Thursday, the Scout Traveler electric SUV and Scout Terra electric pickup truck are modern interpretations of the classic International Harvester Scout. Manufactured from 1961 to 1980, the original Scout helped popularize the idea of the rugged, off-road-capable utility vehicle, setting the stage for modern SUVs.

Cars

Robotaxi aside, a $25,000 EV would be pointless, Tesla CEO says

Blue Tesla Model 3 Highland on the road

Enthusiasts expecting to one day put their hands on the steering wheel of a $25,000 Tesla EV may feel like they’ve been taken for a ride.
CEO Elon Musk has just put a serious damper on those expectations, saying that outside of the driverless Robotaxi recently unveiled by Tesla, a regular $25,000 model would be “pointless” and “silly.”
During a conference call with investors, Musk was asked to clarify whether such a model was in the works.
"Basically, having a regular $25K model is pointless,” Musk said. “It would be silly. It would be completely at odds with what we believe." Tesla, Musk continued, has “been very clear that the future is autonomous.”
On October 10, Tesla unveiled its much-awaited robotaxi, called the Cybercab, an autonomous-driving EV with no steering wheel or pedals. The company also unveiled the Robovan, a much larger autonomous vehicle expected to carry people or goods.
The automaker said the Cybercab is expected to be produced in 2026 and cost $30,000. Musk, meanwhile, said that it would be a $25,000 car without specifying if that price tag included federal tax credits.
Tesla’s ambiguity about an affordable entry-level model has been going on for years. In 2020, Musk signaled that a $25,000 Tesla would arrive within three years. It was later reported that Tesla had ditched the idea, instead favoring the development of a robotaxi.
Language within Tesla’s latest financial report still hints that new affordable Tesla models are on the way. But Musk’s latest comments are putting a floor on just how affordable these would be. So far, Tesla’s Model 3 Rear-Wheel-Drive remains the company’s cheapest model, with a base price of $38,990.
Some rival EV makers, meanwhile, are entering the affordable space more aggressively in the U.S.
General Motors has already put out its Chevy Equinox EV at a price of $27,500, including federal tax credits. Volkswagen America says it plans to release an under-$35,000 EV in the U.S. by 2027.

Cars

Stellantis’ 2027 Dodge Charger Daytona might feature solid-state battery tech

Front three quarter view of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona sedan.

The battle to use cheaper, more efficient, and safer EV batteries is heating up among automakers. At the heart of this battle, the development of solid-state battery technology, an alternative to highly flammable and costly lithium batteries, is garnering more and more attention.For proof, Stellantis, the world’s fourth-largest automaker, is betting on the technology for its next generation of electric vehicles. The Netherlands-based company announced that it will launch a demonstration fleet of Dodge Charger Daytona EVs that will feature solid-state battery tech made by U.S. startup Factorial.The demo fleet, expected to launch by 2026, will provide a real-world assessment of Factorial’s technology. Factorial has been partnering with Stellantis since 2021 and is also partnering with the likes of Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz and Hyundai.Besides Dodge, the technology would eventually be deployed on the Stellantis STLA Large multi-energy platform, which includes brands such as Jeep, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, and Maserati.Stellantis said that the integration of solid-state battery technology will yield “improved performance, longer driving ranges, and faster charging times in the coming years.”Factorial, meanwhile, says its technology provides higher energy density, reduced weight, improved performance, and the potential for further reduction in total vehicle cost over time. Stellantis, Daimler, and Hyundai aren’t the only ones to bet on solid-state battery tech. Toyota, the largest automaker in the world, has heavily invested in the technology. It also created a coalition with Nissan and Panasonic to boost its production in Japan. So far, making solid-state batteries has remained an expensive endeavor. But steps such as the Stellantis demo fleet and production at scale by the likes of Factorial are expected to improve manufacturing processes and costs over time.Other automakers, meanwhile, are working on ways to improve lithium batteries. Volkswagen, for one, is developing its own unified battery cell in several European plants as well as one plant in Ontario, Canada.