EU Expands USB-C Mandate To Chargers (heise.de)
- Reference: 0179810840
- News link: https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/25/10/17/003211/eu-expands-usb-c-mandate-to-chargers
- Source link: https://www.heise.de/en/news/From-2028-EU-expands-USB-C-mandate-to-chargers-10773444.html
> The European Commission has revised the Ecodesign requirements for external power supplies (EPS). The new rules aim to increase consumer convenience, resource efficiency, and energy efficiency. Manufacturers have three years to prepare for the changes. The [1]new regulations apply to external power supplies that charge or power devices such as laptops, smartphones, Wi-Fi routers, and computer monitors. Starting in 2028, these products must meet higher energy efficiency standards and become more interoperable. Specifically, USB chargers on the EU market [2]must have at least one USB Type-C port and function with detachable cables.
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> With the regulation, the EU is also establishing minimum requirements for the efficiency of power supplies with an output power of up to 240 watts that charge via USB Power Delivery (USB-PD), among other things, under [3]other things, minimum requirements . Power supplies with an output power exceeding 10 watts will also have to meet minimum energy efficiency values in partial load operation (10 percent of rated power) in the future, which is intended to reduce unnecessary energy losses.
The EU Commission says the new requirements are expected to save around 3% of energy consumption over the lifecycle of external chargers by 2035. Additionally, greenhouse gas emissions are expected to decrease by 9% and pollutant emissions by about 13%.
"The EU also calculates that consumer spending could decrease by around 100 million euros per year by 2035," reports Heise.
[1] https://energy.ec.europa.eu/publications/ecodesign-requirements-regulation-external-power-supplies-and-charging-devices_en#09
[2] https://www.heise.de/en/news/From-2028-EU-expands-USB-C-mandate-to-chargers-10773444.html
[3] https://energy.ec.europa.eu/document/download/c9913dd7-2031-432b-b9b5-f82f23505047_en?filename=SWD_2025_289_1_EN_resume_impact_assessment_part1_v2.pdf
At this rate (Score:4, Funny)
We'll be seeing EVs with USB-C charging ports.
Re:At this rate (Score:5, Informative)
They mandated CCS2 for electric vehicles.
Re: (Score:2)
Obviously the next step is CCS2 over USB-C, duh.
Saving consumers a whole 4.5 Euros (Score:1)
every year! Totally worth the inevitable negative consequences of trying to mandate the use and design of rapidly changing technology.
Just wait, everything will go to wireless charging (or some newer thing), but consumers in the EU will have to keep buying USB adapters.
Re: (Score:2)
And how the hell many chargers can there be that a 3% reduction in their energy consumption will lead to a 9 or 13% reduction in emissions? What about that sounds realistic?
Re: (Score:2)
As I recall, you can do wireless charging, and even exclusively so if you want no charging port at all. Also, plenty of devices still do non-USB-c power (e.g. if it takes AC power in, that's not required to do USB-C, and if it's a car, then it's CCS2).
There's no sign of a successor to USB-C form factor in the space that EU mandates its use. IIRC, they even wrote the standard to leave some wiggle room to adopt such a successor should it arrive, but the industry seems to have settled into USB-C as an DC pow
Re: (Score:2)
There will be a successor. When cannot be predicted. What can be predicted is that having laws in place that dictate what has to be used will make a damn mess when that happens.
And for what benefit? We're talking about tiny marginal returns here. Trivial savings, trivial impacts, non-trivial costs to the exposed businesses and consumers, trivial costs to the people who thought up the regulations.
Re: (Score:2)
It can save me boxes of crap. I have so many power adaptors with weird connectors in boxes, that I can't bring myself to throw away as I don't even recall which device they're for. I'm not overly worried if it saves me money.
I rather like being able to connect all my devices with a single cable. Phone, laptop, headphones, fan, battery, drone, raspberry pi... e-bike! And the fact I can make do with lower powered power supplies, so I can run my laptop off the car's USB ports is ace.
I'd much rather this th
Re: (Score:3)
> every year! Totally worth the inevitable negative consequences of trying to mandate the use and design of rapidly changing technology.
The reason for the new regulation is exactly to keep it up-to-date in regards of current technology: it's actually going to replace the already-existing regulation from 2019 after the 5-year period review. The review requirement in 5 years was part of the original regulation and will be part of the new regulation too.
> Just wait, everything will go to wireless charging (or some newer thing), but consumers in the EU will have to keep buying USB adapters.
There is nothing in the regulation requiring to buy USB adapters: the opposite is true. The regulation mandates compatibility, which means a product has to be able to be charged with a differen
Re: (Score:2)
trying to mandate the use and design of rapidly changing technology.
Rapidly changing WTF are your talking about. USB-C is 11 years old now and is still on the rise.
Just wait, everything will go to wireless charging
So? If you even remotely understood how the regulation worked you'd know this was not a problem. But ignorance and "herp derp teh EWWW" is good too.
Also... no they won't.
or some newer thing
This is a new one! The EU shouldn't stop e-waste and incompatible chargers because new physics might exist.
bu
Barrel Jacks (Score:3)
I am a little torn here; there are far too many products that use barrel jacks unnecessarily, but converting a barrel jack to hard wired terminals is much easier than a USB-C connector for things that are fixed installations. (Things like spotlights and CCTV accessories come to mind.)
But I do wonder what will happen to all of the new barrel connectors that are 0.2MM difference in diameter or length for various "reasons".
Re: (Score:2)
> But I do wonder what will happen to all of the new barrel connectors that are 0.2MM difference in diameter or length for various "reasons".
The EIAJ standard barrel jacks (usually yellow tipped) are designed to fit only in the corresponding size socket and in none of the other sizes. Each size is for a specific voltage range, the different plugs are supposed to save you from accidentally over-volting your devices.
Re: (Score:2)
but converting a barrel jack to hard wired terminals is much easier than a USB-C connector for things that are fixed installations.
[1]https://thepihut.com/products/... [thepihut.com]
[1] https://thepihut.com/products/2-1mm-5vdc-barrel-jack-to-usb-c-adapter?variant=32285417537598&country=GB¤cy=GBP
Re: (Score:2)
Barrel jacks are a terrible idea from the dawn of technology. Plug the wrong one in and fry something. Drop it in a puddle and fry something. And if you're dumb enough to put 200 Watts over it the thing you fry might be your house.
The inability to connect always live no matter what power directly into a device is a feature.
EU regulations and regulators: (Score:2)
Don't say they can't be useful. I like this. I generally also like laws like the GDPR that enable EU regulators to fine megacorps for 50 bazillion Euros if they choose to get pissy with the rules and ignore them. Good stuff. Gotta hand it to the EU.
Good and bad (Score:2)
I like standardization and USB-C works well
I'm skeptical when governments control technology
How does this help? (Score:2)
So instead of having a bunch of chargers with varying voltages, currents, and connectors, I'll have a bunch of USB C chargers with varying voltages, currents, and capabilities.
Tried using a mainline USB charger with a Raspberry Pi 4? (Nobody supports the 5V/4A that it needs)
Here's a charger that came with my phone, will it work for my laptop? (No)
How come this device won't work with that USB brick? (because it expects the brick to put out 5V without negotiation, and the brick refuses to do that).
This device
Excellent (Score:5, Insightful)
Even though the UK stupidly left the EU, we will benefit from this because nobody will bother making worse products for our market.
I look forward to everything being powered from USB C, with my own choice of cable length and jack (right angle in either direction, or straight), and the ability to replace them if I damage them.
Re: Excellent (Score:2)
Unfortunately, they're not stopping these wall warts which can be a pita. Some have changeable mains pins for most markets, but I've only ever seen one (Apple, ironically, since they're usually the worst offenders in this sort of thing) that has an attachable cable, which enables you to use a plug of your choosing (which they don't supply).
Re: (Score:2)
My MacBook Pro I got last year is usually charged via usb-c while plugged into my work station dock. However it also came with a MagSafe charger, including the wall plug. I heard they were changing that for the European market. But in the USA we still are getting both, for now.
Re: (Score:3)
MacBooks do comply with the EU standard because you can charge them via the USB-C port. The fact that there is an additional option for charging isn't a problem.
Re: (Score:3)
Yeah... is it just me, or does the new Magsafe connector on your Macbook go unused?
Now that most of my stuff charges via USB-C, I have zero interest in using yet another cable type in my charge cable collection. Just standardize on USB-C and be done with it.
Re: Excellent (Score:2)
I use the magsafe on my laptop. I almost always use the laptop in the same place and only charge it there, so it's not getting mixed into my collection and picked back out, and the magsafe is somewhat easier to fumble into place than USB-C. If I was using it long enough somewhere different to need to charge it, I'd grab a USB-C (probably already nearby), rather than collecting the magsafe from where it's set up.
Re: (Score:2)
Apple do supply the attachable cables. I've got the UK, Euro, Swiss, and Italian ones for my charger, but I did have to visit the Apple shops in the respective countries to buy them.
Re: Excellent (Score:2)
The old Mag Safe and Mag Safe 2 power adapters that came with MacBook Pros did not have a detachable cable. Of course, it was always the cable that broke and that required replacing the whole lot. When Apple switched the MBPs to USB-C, they also switched the power supplies to detachable cables too.
Re: (Score:2)
There are lots of USB C chargers that have a detachable mains cable. Anker make a few models, but there are lots of others. They tend to be in the higher power ranges.
It's great being able to travel with only one small charger now.
Re: (Score:2)
The old apple ones I have do that. This is good because the cables have started to fall apart.
Re: (Score:2)
"Even though the UK stupidly left the EU"
The EU isn't exactly demonstrating stellar economic performance right now:
[1]https://www.bloomberg.com/news... [bloomberg.com]
[2]https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/art... [bbc.co.uk]
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-16/german-economy-is-struggling-to-shake-off-slump-bundesbank-says
[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg9n6vr2eyo
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Yes, I wonder who is fucking up the world markets.
Re: (Score:1)
"The EU has grown by over 5 percentage points more than the UK since 2017."
[1]https://www.reddit.com/r/datai... [reddit.com]
[1] https://www.reddit.com/r/dataisbeautiful/comments/13j15ql/oc_uk_vs_eu_gdp_growth_since_brexit/
Re: (Score:2)
Of course, reddit, that famous source of reliable economic data.
Re: (Score:3)
The EU isn't exactly demonstrating stellar economic performance right now
Neither is the UK, and our trade with Europe has dropped a lot.
Re: (Score:2)
And when something new makes USB-C obsolete, you'll be stuck with your worse product for as long as it takes for a distant committee of politicians to figure out what to do.
I prefer the market over bureaucrats for this sort of thing.
Re: (Score:2)
The only reason every Android phone came with micro USB was because the EU made them do it.
Re: (Score:3)
Eventually it will, not for a very long time. But when that happens, so what? The EU will have prevented massive amounts of e-waste being generated in the meantime. I'd rather deal with two standards than 20.