Charging your smartphone
while driving could soon be a simple process needing no cables or
adaptors, but using a special wireless mat.
Toyota plans to introduce the system for mobile devices in
2013 in its new Avalon sedan, using a charging standard known as Qi
(pronounced "chee").
Chrysler wants to offer a similar option in its Dodge Dart model.
One analyst told the BBC the feature was likely to become mainstream in the months to come.
The wireless charging option will be a part of Toyota's
$1,950 (£1,200) "technology package", said to be available from next
spring.
To charge a device, a driver will simply have to place it on
the mat, though the handset has to have a Qi protocol integrated in it.
Currently, Qi wireless charging is supported by 34 mobile
phone models, including the LG Google Nexus 4, Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC
Windows Phone 8X.
There are also add-on systems for other smartphones.
"Pioneering the ability to charge with no wires or connectors
by simply putting devices in the car console is an intuitive innovation
which reflects Toyota's continuing commitment to improve the consumer
experience," said Randy Stephens, chief engineer of Toyota Avalon, in a
statement.
Magnetic induction
Qi works via magnetic induction that involves transmitting energy over a magnetic field.
Continue reading the main story
“Start Quote
We're constantly striving to get thinner devices but by adding an infrastructure inside a device can compromise the thinness”
Shaun Collins
CCS Insight
Inductive charging plates have
been around for several years, and have been integrated in some mobile
phones, such as the Palm Pre.
But in 2008, the Wireless Power Consortium, which has more
than 100 members, including Samsung, Nokia, HTC, Motorola Mobility and
Sony, signed an agreement for an open standard for wireless power,
called Qi.
This means that any Qi-enabled handset is compatible with any Qi charger, regardless of the brand.
General Motors announced in 2011 plans to introduce a pad
using magnetic induction in its Chevrolet Volt, but so far it has not
happened.
An Israeli firm, Powermat Technologies, is currently placing
charging pads for mobile phones in numerous public venues around the US, including Starbucks.
There are companies investigating
wireless charging via induction for electric cars, which works by having a charging pad on the floor of your garage.
The technology is finally becoming mainstream, according to Shaun Collins, an analyst at consultancy firm CCS Insight.
"Wireless charging is emerging after some years in the wilderness, and is now being adopted [more and more]," he told the BBC.
"The technology is starting to take on much more prominence
with the devices [such as the latest] Nokia Windows 8 phone that has
wireless charging in it.
"There's a slight dilemma for mobile devices though, as we're
constantly striving to get thinner devices but by adding an
infrastructure inside a device can compromise the thinness."