Standardization in Wireless Charging Market to Drive Growth

Thursday 8 March 2012, Amsterdam

The report covers the industry dynamics and offers analysis of potential markets in the wireless charging market and of key market suppliers. Sales revenue and sales volume forecasts are given for the wireless chargers market through to 2016. The end user application markets of wireless chargers like the computer industry, consumer electronics, automobiles, and furniture are also discussed.

Standardization in Wireless Charging Market to Drive Growth

The growth of the wireless charging market will depend on standardization, which means development of a common agreed standard that guarantees interoperability between devices andwireless charging solutions from different vendors. Without standardization, many companies working on wireless technology will come up with their own proprietary accessories for individual products, using their own protocols and this can lead to lack of interoperability and device incompatibility. These challenges would drive up the prices and make the market less consumerfriendly. Ultimately, the development of these standards will depend on consumer demand.

Though standards such as Qi and UL 2738 are available in the wireless charging market for inductive coupling technology, few products have incorporated them. According to GBI Research, device manufacturers should incorporate these standards into the wireless charging pads and gadgets that are to be charged, as consumers preference for interoperable wireless charging solutions is increasing. This initiative will drive the growth of the wireless charging market.

WiPower, being developed by Qualcomm, is a proprietary standard that facilitates inductive charging technology. Qualcomm has signed an agreement with Powermat and Duracell to develop wireless chargers. Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is making efforts to develop standards that will be much broader in scope than Qi, WiPower and UL 2738, and able to serve a wide range of technologies.

With such developments taking place in the wireless charging market, more standardized products are expected to enter the market in the coming years. So GBI Research expects that standardization will bring about greater adaptability of wireless charging solutions and allow manufacturers to access each others’ essential patents while using applications to differentiate their products.

Efficiency and User Convenience to Drive Growth

Wireless charging technology offers benefits such as convenience, safety and efficiency over conventional chargers. Wireless chargers are convenient to the user as there are no cumbersome power cords and any compatible portable device can be charged on the same charging pad. They are safer to use because with no exposure to metal connectors or electrical outlets, they reduce the risk of electrical shocks. Users simply need to place the device on the charging surface. The charging pad allows more than one device to be charged simultaneously, thus increasing efficiency. As and when the device is fully charged, the wireless charger shuts off and thereby reduces energy being wasted and extends the device’s battery life. This is in addition to the power savings generated by using one wireless charger instead of two or more external power adaptors.

These numerous advantages over conventional chargers will drive users to replace their conventional chargers with wireless charging solutions, and this is expected to boost the wireless charging market from 2.49 million units in 2010 to 379 million units by 2015.

Wireless Charging Technology Reduces Waste and Energy Consumption

Conventional chargers consist of toxic and non-biodegradable waste. Due to the lack of universal chargers, the electronic waste from conventional chargers is high in comparison to wireless chargers. Plastic and packaging waste is also reduced when the number of conventional chargers is replaced with one common wireless charger, which ultimately contributes to reducing carbon emissions. The energy consumed by charging a device wirelessly is less than the power consumed in handling and disposing of conventional wired chargers.

Initiatives have been taken by wireless charger manufacturers to avoid the use of harmful substances such as Brominated Flame Retardants (BFRs), Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), lead and cadmium. The Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), an international association for the wireless telecommunications industry, takes measures to protect the environment by using Universal Charger Solutions (UCS). From January 2012, in the US, most of the new smartphones will have a UCS. Due to this development, it is estimated that standby energy consumption could be reduced to about 50%.

Improving Long-Distance Energy Transfer: The Main Challenge for Technology Developers

Improvements must be made to long-distance energy transfer. It has been observed that the current wireless technology that is in use is efficient only when energy is transferred over distances of up to several centimeters. When small amounts of energy are transferred from the transmitter to the receiver over longer distances, most of the energy gets scattered and is dissipated before it reaches the receiver. When a large amount of energy is transferred, problems arise due to radiation. In order to overcome such drawbacks, technology must be developed so that energy is efficiently transferred across greater distances. Attempts are being made to implement optical energy-based technology developed by Powerbeam in wireless chargers. It is supposed that metamaterials can be used to overcome the problems and transfer energy over longer distances. Development and testing of technology that uses metamaterials and any other technological developments must be carried out in order to confirm the effectiveness of such alternatives.