Induction chargers swarm in our cars: this is why not all of them are equal

Induction chargers, more and more popular aboard our cars, can be very practical for loading your phone by driving, without the need for any cable. However, it happens too often to find your terminal at a lower level of load on arrival than at the start of its journey, and sometimes at a high temperature. Here are the points to take into account to judge the quality of an induction charger.

Alignment of coils difficult to keep in a moving vehicle

The manufacturers sometimes communicate on the power of their induction charger, generally between 5 and 50 W. Models of less than 15 W will be particularly slow and will not necessarily manage to maintain the load level of a smartphone when used for Android Auto or Apple Carplay, for example.

However, power is far from the only important factor in judging the performance of an induction charger. Indeed, so that it can be transmitted to the smartphone, it must be ensured that the charger coil and that of the terminal are properly aligned. This is where the shoe is most often pinches, with smartphones that turn into induction plaque because of significant losses.

First, depending on the size of the terminal and the position of its charging coil, the alignment can be more or less good. In rare cases, it is even sometimes better with the device with the head down.

In addition, the smartphone can easily move during the driving phase and lose the alignment between the coils. In the case of DS n ° 8whose charger is coated with suede and devoid of support guides, it is enough for example from a turn to lose alignment. Other models are doing better, for example with an non -slip coating, but a sudden turn will despite everything most often lose the alignment.

Some manufacturers use more original solutions, such as Audi whose last wireless chargers are entitled to a clamp now the smartphone in place. It is not necessarily much more practical or graceful than a charging cable, but the maintenance is at least better than with other induction chargers.

It is therefore important to try the car induction charger that you want to buy with your smartphone and, if necessary, with your shell, to ensure the good alignment of the coils and its maintenance, while keeping in mind that its next terminal may be of different dimension, smartphones tend to grow from generation to generation.

A likely evolution could be the adoption of induction chargers with magnetic support, such as Apple and Qi2 Magsafe technologies. Unfortunately, as often in the automobile, these standards are still slow to be adopted and only third -party induction chargers are currently equipped. Some have also been designed to integrate into the central console of a Tesla, for example.

Other points to take into account

If poor alignment can promote the heating of the smartphone, it is not the only factor that can raise the temperature and sometimes suspend the recharge. The positioning of the charger, sheltered from the sun’s rays or not, also plays. Some manufacturers also incorporate an active cooling system via small fans, which make it possible to better contain the heating of the smartphone.

Beyond the load performance, the position of the induction charger is important to take into account. If the smartphone is most of the time to place in the center of the central console and therefore at hand, some manufacturers choose to integrate the induction charger into closed storage. Fortunately, an alert is generally displayed on the central screen if the device is forgotten. In the same way, some induction chargers are equipped with a status LED and the state of the load is often displayed on the central screen.

Some cars are equipped with a double induction charger allowing the driver and his passenger to load their device simultaneously. This is the case with Tesla and some Chinese manufacturers.

Finally, rare models offer an induction charger at the rear, but it is mainly very high -end cars. Kia offers it as an accessory for its large EV9 electric SUV within the Lounge Package, but which is not marketed in France.

In short, if the presence of an induction charger is appreciable aboard a car, its integration is not always so pleasant. Many manufacturers still have progress to make an experienced experience, especially to improve the maintenance of the smartphone. Hopefully this problem can be resolved with the gradual adoption of the Qi2 standard.

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