Wireless Qi charging pads just got a boost with Scosche announcing it will ship new made-to-fit pads for seven vehicles at the end of the month.
It joins Brandmotion in offering the wireless charging pads that can fit in or on consoles and other areas of the car.
Wireless Qi charging is growing at 40 percent annually in new device shipments and is expected to grow faster than WiFi and on a par with Bluetooth devices, according to the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC).
Already 80 vehicles offer wireless charging from the factory.
“The idea is… that wireless charging is going to become an ecosystem. All the new phones have it and people will be used to setting their phone down where ever they go [to charge]. They are becoming more common in homes and people are going to want the same experience in their cars so they don’t have to think about charging their phones anymore,” said Shane Condon of Scosche.
In the home wireless chargers are selling at a rate of 60- 80 million units a year with a potential market of 500 million units a year, said the WPC.
As we reported earlier, many leading 12 volt chains are picking up wireless charging mounts and expecting the category to grow rapidly.
Analyst IHS Markit believes the market is so strong it will quickly expand beyond phone charging to laptop wireless charging.
IHS Markit said one in four people have now used wireless charging and more than 98 percent would want the feature on their next phone.
Brandmotion, which launched the category 4 years ago said, “This is a big category for us,” according to Brandmotion founder Jeff Varick. The company recently added new kits for Chevy Silverado trucks and for the new Honda Accord and Civic.
The new Scosche vehicle specific kits are designed to sit on top of a console in most cases, as people still want to be able to see their phone, said Condon. They offer fast charging at 10 watts.
Scosche plans to support 15 vehicles by March of 2019. The first kits to ship will support the following vehicles:
2007 to 2013 select General Motors trucks
2009 and up Ford F150
2009 and up Ram trucks
2013 and up Ford Fusion
2005-2015 Toyota Tacoma
2008-2012 Honda Accord
A universal charging pad is also available, which comes with trim kit to flush mount on any surface.
The pads have a magnetized pull that helps keep the phone in place.
Suggested retail price is approximately $120.
Scosche also supplies windshield/dashboard mounts with wireless Qi charging.
been my experience that it overcharges the battery and makes it swell.