UK Considering Making USB-C the Common Charging Standard, Following the EU

Following moves by both the European Union and India to implement USB-C as the default charging port for all consumer devices, the British government has now begun a consultation on whether it should follow suit and implement a common standard for charging, and if this should be USB-C. From a report: The consultation has been started by the Office for Product Safety and Standards which sits within the Department for Business and Trade, and it calls for manufacturers, importers, distributors, and trade associations to provide their input on the matter. Of course, should the UK decide against adopting USB-C and implement a separate standard, expect that device manufacturers just provide dongles to support this rather than having unique device versions.

The Office for Product Safety and Standards stated the following on this topic: "We consider that it would potentially help businesses and deliver consumer and environmental benefits if we were to introduce standardized requirements for chargers for certain portable electrical/electronic devices across the whole UK. We are seeking views from manufacturers, importers, distributors, and trade associations as to whether it would be helpful to do so and, if so, whether this should be based on USB-C â" as adopted by the EU."

so much for brexit

[zlives]

/duck

Re:

[e3m4n]

What happens when something better than USB-C evolves? Will this hold development back? Understandably, it’s probably 10yrs off, but still.

Re: so much for brexit

[Viol8]

What about it? Standardisation even if only for a decade can only be a good thing.

Re:

[Z00L00K]

The USB-C connectors wears out too fast.
People at work suffers this problem and have to replace their computers prematurely since it's on the motherboard.

Re:

[itsme1234]

Which computers? You can replace them even on MacBooks. Yes, you have soldered RAM, SSDs and everything (if even discrete components at all) but the USB-C ports are on a small separated PCB.

Re:

[Maxo-Texas]

You get around this with a docking station. And by insisting on computers which allow easy replacements of the ports. The easiest solution is a short passthru plug that plugs into the real plug. When the passthru fails, you replace it. You might only plug and unplug from the real plug once every few years.

Re:

[Teun]

The typical life expectancy of eqt. using a USB-C charge port is maybe 5-7 years.
Would you pass up on a nice car because next year's model might be better?

Re:

[e3m4n]

That would depend on the changes. Remember in the late 90s telling people to wait before buying a new PC because something new was coming out? Damn that Moores Law. Then there was the whole ISA, EISA, VESA LocalBus, PCI, PCI-X, PCIe tailwind.

Re:

[Martin Blank]

You forgot AGP.

Re:

[ewibble]

Who said that? the best advice was to buy a mid range PC top of the line where hideously expensive, and didn't stay that way for long, you upgrade in later if needed, if you needed a PC you should get one.

Not buying one now, because a better one is coming was as silly idea because for the foreseeable you would not be buying a PC.

Re:

[Voyager529]

What happens when something better than USB-C evolves? Will this hold development back? Understandably, it’s probably 10yrs off, but still.

I'm not worried, personally. Consider the lifespan of USB-A.

While there are many USB-C only computers today, USB-A is still actively being built into a sizeable number of computers, 28 years after its introduction, and will likely be readily available for some time.

The USB-C physical spec was ratified in 2014, meaning that even if USB-A was added to the bin with parallel and DVI ports tomorrow, a 28-year lifespan would see it in active use in 2042.

I sincerely doubt we'll be worried about the fact that USB-C

Re:

[jacks smirking reven]

so that devices won't have their longevity mitigated by a broken charging port.

This is thankfully already happening thanks to USB-C, both my thinkpads have 2x USB-C ports, both of which can charge and that seems to be becoming something of standard for laptops under 100W

Of course I'd prefer the universe where Apple doesn't lock up MagSafe and everybodies laptops charge with that but alas, still better than the mess of figuring out which DC brick fits which machine.

Re:

[dgatwood]

so that devices won't have their longevity mitigated by a broken charging port.

This is thankfully already happening thanks to USB-C, both my thinkpads have 2x USB-C ports, both of which can charge and that seems to be becoming something of standard for laptops under 100W

Of course I'd prefer the universe where Apple doesn't lock up MagSafe and everybodies laptops charge with that but alas, still better than the mess of figuring out which DC brick fits which machine.

I'd like that better, too, but I like the way this is effectively forcing USB-C ports on everything, which for non-charging purposes, is a huge win. And even for charging, I'm glad that my Mac *can* charge by USB-C, even though I prefer to charge from MagSafe when it is available, because it isn't always available.

Re:

[e3m4n]

is the USB-C port capped at 45W? my laptop is alienware so it has a 120W power supply and a big barrel connector for charging. Its about 3yrs old so the only usb-C is in the back (technically Thunderbolt 3)

Re: so much for brexit

[dj245]

100w is the typical limit of USB-C PD these days, although 65w chargers are far more common. 240w has been announced but not yet implemented at any kind of scale.

Re:

[ArchieBunker]

What happens when something better than USB-C evolves? Will this hold development back? Understandably, it’s probably 10yrs off, but still.

They agree and make it the new standard?

Re:

[GuB-42]

It is a connector, it is not as if revolutionary ideas come out every year in this field. We are at the point where standardization is more valuable than progress, and that's the reason the EU legislation exists.

Initially, they kindly asked manufacturers to work together on a standard, and it was rather successful, as most smartphone manufacturers settled on micro-USB, which vastly improved the situation from before, and other electronic manufacturers followed. Then USB-C came out, supporting even more use

Re: so much for brexit

[Viol8]

Indeed. Completely pointless me-too gesture politics that will just waste more taxpayer money.

Re:

[Finallyjoined!!!]

Brexit. - You again. Just leave it you loser.

Re:

[nukenerd]

This has nothing to do with the EU or Brexit, that's journalism for you. The USB standards are international industry standards, which as it happens originated in the USA, not the EU. So perhaps the anti-Bexiteers think the UK should not have left the USA in 1783 either? It makes sense to follow the industry standard on this and I expect approval will be a formality. The alternative would not be to invent some British standard, it would be to leave the present chaotic situation (ie connectors of all shape

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

We're going to have sovereign USB-C chargers. An MP's mate down the pub is going to print the little union jack stickers with a company he's just created.

Re:

[Baron_Yam]

No ducking! It's a genuinely reasonable (if sarcastic) comment.

The UK is ultimately going to end up following the EU's lead because as big an economy as the UK has... it's about 1/6th that of the EU. (And god knows how much of it is based on Russian oligarch money)

Whenever the UK deviates from EU standards, they're hurting themselves a lot more than the EU for anything that crosses borders.

Re:

[Zocalo]

Yeah, this. The UK might still be one of the world's largest economies (I think we fell a place, but are still legitimately in the G7), but a lot of that is from the service sector, which doesn't matter for people looking to sell physical goods where the size of the marketplace is key. That's currently just a touch under 70m, including those at either end of the age range whose procurement preferences are mostly centred on comfy nappies and food they don't have to chew - the target audience for any given

Re:

[Dan Posluns]

EU already picked USB-C. After Brexiting, it should be mandated that UK should pick a different one now. I recommend Lightning, just to make things interesting

Re: so much for brexit

[drinkypoo]

The lightning connector on my iPhone is flaking out now. I wiggle the phone and it loses connection momentarily. I plug it into my PC with a USB-C to lightning cable. The type C end still works great, both the plug and the port. So much for the supposed superiority of lightning...

Re:

[Martin Blank]

That's usually dirt caked up in the top of the port in the device. It happens to me every six months or so. I have to get a thin pin and carefully break up the dirt, and then the connector works fine.

Re:

[Bake]

Have you tried fishing out the lint using a toothpick? You'll be surprised how much lint and muck can get in there.

Re:

[nukenerd]

/duck

Nothing to do with the EU or Brexit. The USB standard originated in the USA.

Re:

[pulpo88]

The USB-C standard may have originated in the USA, but what originated in the EU is this notion that the government of a major world economy should force everyone within their reach to use a particular charging port on their personal electronic devices. Sounds like the UK is on track to affirm both the US charging standard and the EU proclivity for sweeping regulation. I can see how Brexiteers might take offense.

Not that I have much sympathy for the Brexiteers. The economic reality is that the UK is freq

Re:

[ChatHuant]

so much for brexit

But the UK USB C connector will be better than the weak European one! It will still have the standard USB C port, but will also add a big rectangular earth pin [wikipedia.org] above to guarantee strong grounding.

Doesn't mean that it can't have other ports...

[MikeDataLink]

All it means is that the device must have a USB-C port that works for charging. If they also want to put other proprietary ports on it (or mag-safe wireless), or future USB-D/E/F they can do so in addition.

Re:

[smoot123]

All it means is that the device must have a USB-C port that works for charging. If they also want to put other proprietary ports on it (or mag-safe wireless), or future USB-D/E/F they can do so in addition.

When USB-D comes out, and it's better in every way than USB-C, at what point can manufacturers drop USB-C? Do they have to lobby the regulators to establish a deprecation schedule? Do they have to include both ports? Is a C->D dongle (so I can plug a C cable into a D port) good enough?

What a pain. I despair any manufacturer will ever bother going through the effort. We'll be stuck with USB-C for far longer than we need to be.

Re:

[rossdee]

Wouldn't the replacement for USB-C be USB-C++

Re:

[Anonymous Coward]

Given how messed up USB is, it's likely to be something like USB-C-2.0b1r47.

Re:

[dgatwood]

Given how messed up USB is, it's likely to be something like USB-C-2.0b1r47.

USB-Objective-C, with extra brackets to hold the connector in.

In the UK we must follow global standards

[Alain Williams]

In spite of what the bird bained brexiiteers think we are not a valuable enough a market for manufacturers to make stuff just for us. It is OK to buy beer in pints as they are all pulled in bars individually but mobile phones, etc, are a mass market product - they would cost more if there was a UK only standard.

Re: In the UK we must follow global standards

[Viol8]

I dont think you can accuse the current labour government of being brexiteers so maybe put away the 2016 rhetoric. This is nothing to do with brexit and everything to do with a new government trying to prove it's got its finger on the pulse via pointless paper shuffling.

Re:

[Teun]

It's got everything to do with Brexit.
Without this Brexit thing USB-C would already been mandated.

Re:In the UK we must follow global standards

[UnknowingFool]

A main driving reason Brexit supporters championed for leaving the EU was so the UK did not have to follow EU standards within the UK. That sounds like a great idea until people realized that to export UK goods into the EU, they need to follow EU standards which they had no control anymore. So a manufacturer now might have to follow two different standards. Right now the first goods that are made exclusively for the UK are appearing with the labels "Not for export to the EU" which consumers are interpreting as a sign of low quality.

Re:

[sometimesblue]

True. At my factory, we've just had to spend a small fortune now making sure our equipment in UK certified, as well as the old CE certified. The safety standards are exactly the same, but we've got to be certified twice. Utterly stupid. If Europe changes some of its requirements, the UK will have to follow otherwise it will either appear as 1) Insufficiently safe or 2) Overly bureaucratic. At least we changed the colour of our passports :(

EU hypocrisy

[david.emery]

I looked at two brand-new European electric shavers, a Norelco and a Braun. Each had a proprietary connector. The Norelco provided a cable from their shaver with USB-A on the other end. The Braun had an integrated proprietary connector/cable/power dongle.

So when the EU actually uniformly applies these rules across devices produced in the EU, I'll believe EU is serious about their claims of 'reduced consumer waste', etc, etc, etc. Until then, this strikes me as EU "rules for companies that are not in the

Re:EU hypocrisy

[dunkelfalke]

Far more people use smartphones than electric shavers. Hence it is not hypocrisy, but merely an excuse you use to whine about the EU.

Re:

[zlives]

i demand that all BOV's charge via usb-c :)
(i will take my gratuity in $s from any oil exec's accidentally wandering /.)

Re:EU hypocrisy

[timeOday]

The EU law applies to:

• digital cameras and video game consoles
• headphones, earbuds and portable loudspeakers
• mobile phones
• portable navigation systems
• tablets and e-readers
• wireless mice and keyboards

  Laptops which do not qualify as âportable electronics requiring up to 100W of power deliveryâ(TM) will also be required to comply with the directive from April 2026 onwards.

https://www.graniteriverlabs.c... [graniteriverlabs.com]

Criticizing new EU legislation for not being oppressive and expansive enough is a fresh take, although the concept of hypocrisy doesn't quite apply.

Re:

[test321]

So when the EU actually uniformly applies these rules across devices produced in the EU,

The "brand-new European electronic shaver" are not made in the EU, except if the website displays in big flashy letters that it is made in EU (usually only the most expensive model of an appliance manufacturer). You mentioned Norelco, which is a range from Philips. I own an electric shaver from Philips purchased last year and it says "Made in Indonesia"

The question never were the place of manufacture (I don't know why you would think locally-made products would get an exception). As it happens, the USB-C ch

Re:EU hypocrisy

[thegarbz]

So when the EU actually uniformly applies these rules across devices produced in the EU

What do you mean "all devices produced in the EU"? Firstly it's not about being produced in the EU, but rather sold in the EU. Secondly it was never all devices. There was a very specific list: (The numbering is directly from the clause in Directive (EU) 2022/2380
1.1. handheld mobile phones;
1.2. tablets;
1.3. digital cameras;
1.4. headphones;
1.5. headsets;
1.6. handheld videogame consoles;
1.7. portable speakers;
1.8. e-readers;
1.9. keyboards;
1.10. mice;
1.11. portable navigation systems;
1.12. earbuds;
1.13. laptops.

These were chosen as they were creating the largest amount of e-waste in the union. Your beard trimmer is irrelevant. Not only is it not likely to be replaced every couple of years, but it also won't be used by the majority of the population.

Your ignorance is not someone else's hypocrisy.

Re:

[david.emery]

Out of curiosity, how many of each of these categories are actually either (a) made in the EU or (b) designed by EU companies?

Re:

[Teun]

I believe you don't appreciate EU law is primary consumer protection law.
In the USofA it's more about regulating (protecting) companies.

100 years too late

[mi]

Should've standardized the DC outlets at the same time, when AC was standardized — at least, within a single country.

Mandate that they can actually charge from USB C

[EvilSS]

I'm getting a lot of electronics lately that have USB C ports for charging but can only charge if plugged into a USB 2.0 charger using a USB A to USB C cable. Plug them into a USB C charger and they won't recognize it. Really frustrating.

Re:

[gabebear]

THIS! This is the braindead part of the EU mandate. If the UK actually mandates the Power-Delivery standard then it's going to filter out all those garbage products.

Re:Mandate that they can actually charge from USB

[thegarbz]

THIS! This is the braindead part of the EU mandate.

There's nothing braindead about it. The EU mandate requires backwards compatibility with USB2.0 standard power requirements if the device consumes less than 15W @ 5V, and requires USB-PD for anything higher than that. The USB Specification already requires backwards compatibility from a USB-C port to charge devices at 5V 3A. All your use cases are covered in the regulations.

The fact that you are buying devices not compliant with the regulations isn't the fault of the regulations.

Re:

[thegarbz]

can only charge if plugged into a USB 2.0 charger using a USB A to USB C cable.

Then throw out your shitty USB-C charger which isn't conforming to the USB Spec, the same spec which says your charger needs to be able to provide dumb 5V to any dumb device plugged into it to ensure perfect backwards compatibility.

We don't need another mandate if you are buying devices that don't follow the existing ones.

Re:

[radarskiy]

"the same spec which says your charger needs to be able to provide dumb 5V to any dumb device plugged into it to ensure perfect backwards compatibility"

Wrong. To turn on basic +5V VBus for USB-C to USB-C, the device receiving power has to pull down the CC lines.

USB-A/-B has different connectors for the host and device ends, so it was unambiguous which end supplied power so you leave VBus on.

Since UBS-C is the same connector on both ends, you need some other way to identify device from host.

A USB-A to USB-C

Re:

[EvilSS]

Well I've tried multiple chargers from Anker, uGreen, Apple, Samsung, and a few others. So tell me what non-shitty chargers I should be using? Because, obviously it's the charger and not the devices that are out of compliance, because you, the all knowing USB and EEE expert said so, yea?

Dumbass.

Re:

[Z00L00K]

How about the USB-C wearing out? That's what I have experienced.

Re:

[EvilSS]

Brand new out of the box. If it wore out from 1 insertion then there's a bigger issue.

Re:

[Teun]

Return it as faulty.

Re:

[msauve]

>USB C ports for charging but can only charge if plugged into a USB 2.0 charger using a USB A to USB C cable.

Thing is, those aren't USB Type-C ports. They may use the same connector, but if they don't follow the USB specs, they're not USB ports.

Re: Mandate that they can actually charge from USB

[drinkypoo]

Type C is one spec, USB is several. There are what, four different kinds of USB 3 alone?

Re:

[test321]

You could check if the products actually exhibit a USB logo on the box or documentation. It could be they use a 24-pin connector that happens to be same as USB-C, but never claimed to be a USB device (since they'd need to pay more for certified components, plus the royalties to the USB Implementer's forum).

Also, if you're buying from sites like Amazon or Aliexpress, you're on your own. Individual sellers on these sites don't follow local (e.g. EU) regulations if they ship from their countries. To the contr

Re:

[EvilSS]

How about we have customs seize them either in route to Amazon's local warehouses or from the Amazon warehouse since they are not complying with the law?

Should be UKB-C - Brexit means Brexit!

[Lavandera]

UK should be independent and govern on its own.

There should be separate standard UKB-C different from USB-C

Re:

[nukenerd]

UK should be independent and govern on its own.

There should be separate standard UKB-C different from USB-C

Not sure if you are serious. It makes sense to use international industry standards, for which is is not essential to be joined at the hip to any other particular countries. Despite other comments mocking about Brexit, this has nothing to do with the EU, the USB standard originated in the USA as it happens.

Re:

[Teun]

The UK has experience at being different :)
I suggest making the connector similar to a British plug by including a replaceable fuse.

Re:

[qbast]

And making a plug heavy enough to be usable as a makeshift bludgeoning instrument.

Re:

[wyHunter]

BUT they are the safest in the world.

Completely meaningless

[gweihir]

As the EU is going to enforce this, the world will follow. There is enough precedent by now. This is just the UK pretending that they are still relevant to tech standards. They are not.

I cant wait.

[usedtobestine]

How long will it take to charge a Tesla Model 3 via USB-C? 300 to 400 hours?

It's not really British ...

[PPH]

... until they figure out a way to incorporate a BS 1363 plug/socket in the design.

USB-C is a dumpster fire

[bubblyceiling]

Fuck type-C.


POS connector, that is weak as shit, has loose connections after a few years, has an absolute mess of cable & port types none of which are clearly marked, too much reliance on firmware and controller chips, costly as cables have to be active & need a chip, over-complicated and over-engineered to the point that all the stars & planets need to align for it to work right

After an exhaustive study...

[jrq]

...and hiring PWC to consult on their position, for the paltry sum of £1 million. The answer was "Yes, USB-C should be the standard".
Masters of the bleeding obvious.