For years, General Motors has been including wireless (inductive) charging systems in most of its vehicles, enabling vehicle owners to simply place their compatible smartphone on the charge pad, removing the fuss associated with plugging in a cable. The only problem is that very few smartphones support inductive charging out of the box, and those that do support it aren’t always good at it. The Apple iPhone — the single most popular smartphone device by sales volume in America — has never supported inductive/wireless charging out of the box, requiring owners who want to charge their iPhone wireless in their car to plug in a cable or purchase a case that enabled the wireless charging functionality. Based on what we have observed, very few owners of GM vehicles with wireless charging functionality who also use iPhones do not have a case that supports inductive charging, meaning that the wireless charging functionality in their vehicles goes unused. All that might soon change, since rumor has it that the next iPhone will support wireless charging out of the box.
The Next iPhone
Though rumors surrounding the next iPhone have been all over the map, but the going rumor is that the next iPhone won’t be one single device, but actually two very different devices: the first will likely be the current iPhone 7 and 7 Plus with feature updates in CPU, GPU and storage. It will supposedly be called iPhone 7S and 7S Plus, falling in line with Apple’s “tick-tock” release cycle.
The second is believed to be an all-new iPhone with an all-new design that includes a curved bezel-less display. Rumored to serve as the new flagship of the iPhone line, this one will reportedly be called iPhone 8 or iPhone X, as it is expected to commemorate the iPhone’s tenth anniversary. Alas, it has been a decade since the iPhone’s 2007 launch. Either way, it is this iPhone 8 or iPhone X that is rumored to feature inductive/wireless charging functionality.
A True Wireless Solution
The third-generation Cadillac CTS features an inductive wireless charging pad behind the CUE faceplate
Those who haven’t used wireless charging in a vehicle might be wondering what the big deal is about the feature. That big deal is called convenience.
In a nutshell, inductive charging enables a true wireless solution: you get in the car, place your phone on the charging pad, and that’s it: no need to fuss with cables, chargers, or USB ports, since the phone connects to the car’s infotainment system via Bluetooth and charges via the inductive charging system. To use a past Apple tagline, it just works.
Those curious about using Apple CarPlay in such a scenario will be happy to know that CarPlay can now be operated wirelessly, so long as the vehicle supports it.
Other Phones Have Been Doing It
Some smartphones — such as select units from Samsung, LG, Motorola, Nokia, HTC and others — have supported inductive charging for years, so Apple will by no means be the first to market with this tech. But being first to market or adding a feature for the sake of checking off a box has never been Apple’s modus operandi. Instead, the company prides itself on delivering benefits and solutions, rather than features.
What’s more, many Android devices that support the technology leave a lot to be desired when it comes to implementation: some exhibit unpredictable behavior when being placed on the charging pad, with Samsung devices having a reputation for not charging half of the time. Others get so hot during the inductive charging process that it’s uncomfortable to touch them. So when Apple enters the fray, chances are that the implementation will be spot-on from a user experience perspective.
It’s worth noting that the charging technology broadly referred to as wireless charging represents a misnomer of sorts. The tech is not entirely wireless; a true wireless charging solution currently in the research and development stage across various private entities and educational facilities would give users the ability to roam around a space (such as a room or a car) freely with their device as it charges in their hands or a pocket. By comparison, the solution being discussed here requires a physical contact — and is officially known as inductive charging.
Standards, Standards, Standards
As it stands, there are two inductive charging standards: PowerMat (backed by Duracell) and Qi (backed by Energizer). In the world of technology, these are analogous to BluRay and HDDVD or VHS and Betamax in that both are standards that do the same thing. But ultimately, the standard matters, and here’s why.
Currently, it is unknown which standard Apple will support in its rumored inclusion of inductive charging, but whatever it ends up being, the good news is that GM vehicles equipped with wireless-inductive charging support both the PowerMat and Qi standards. Hence, the only way that GM vehicles will not support an iPhone with wireless charging is if Apple creates a charging standard of its own that isn’t compatible with Qi or PowerMat. But all evidence points to Apple supporting Qi, as the California-based technology giant joined the Power Consortium that supports Qi earlier in 2017.
Vehicle Availability
GM rolled out wireless inductive charging in most of its vehicles between the 2015 and 2018 model years. As a reference, we have provided a list of 2018 model year GM vehicles with built-in GM wireless charging, either as standard or optional.
| Vehicle | Wireless Charging? |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet | |
| Camaro | Yes |
| Cruze | Yes |
| Impala | Yes |
| Malibu | Yes |
| Volt | Yes |
| Bolt EV | Yes |
| Colorado | Yes |
| Equinox | Yes |
| Traverse | Yes |
| Silverado | Yes |
| Tahoe | Yes |
| Suburban | Yes |
| Spark | No |
| Sonic | No |
| Trax | No |
| City Express | No |
| Express | No |
| Low Cab Forward | No |
| Corvette | No |
| Buick | |
| Enclave | Yes |
| LaCrosse | Yes |
| Regal/TourX/Sportback | Yes |
| Cascada | No |
| Encore | No |
| Envision | No |
| GMC | |
| Terrain | Yes |
| Acadia | Yes* |
| Canyon | Yes |
| Sierra | Yes |
| Yukon | Yes |
| Yukon XL | Yes |
| Cadillac | |
| ATS | Yes |
| CTS | Yes |
| CT6 | Yes |
| XTS | Yes |
| XT5 | Yes |
| Escalade | Yes |
| ELR | Yes |
*As LPO/dealer-installed option
To note, a quick way to identify a GM vehicle with inductive/wireless phone charging is to look for RPO code K4C.
Putting The Charging Pad To Good Use
Apple is expected to announce the next iPhones some time in September. Availability of the iPhone 7S model, which isn’t likely to support inductive wireless charging, is expected to ship in the September-October 2017 timeframe with a starting price in line with the current iPhone 7 family. Meanwhile, the flagship iPhone 8 or iPhone X — the one with the all-new design, 5.2-inch bezel-less screen and built-in inductive charging — is believed to ship closer to the end of the year, with starting price approaching $1,000 USD.
So — here’s to putting all those built-in inductive charging pads in Chevys, Cadillacs, Buicks and GMCs to good use with the next iPhone… if and only if all the rumors of wireless charging are true.
In the meantime, iPhone users can choose from a myriad of cases to satisfy their in-vehicle wireless charging desire.
Comments
Phones with wireless charging have been around for three years, for those that are not Apple fanboys!
Even then, the wireless coil kits for iphones have been available for some time also!
Straight from the article:
Some smartphones — such as select units from Samsung, LG, Motorola, Nokia, HTC and others — have supported inductive charging for years, so Apple will by no means be the first to market with this tech. But being first to market or adding a feature for the sake of checking off a box has never been Apple’s modus operandi. Instead, the company prides itself on delivering benefits and solutions, rather than features.
What’s more, many Android devices that support the technology leave a lot to be desired when it comes to implementation: some exhibit unpredictable behavior when being placed on the charging pad, with Samsung devices having a reputation for not charging half of the time. Others get so hot during the inductive charging process that it’s uncomfortable to touch them. So when Apple enters the fray, chances are that the implementation will be spot-on from a user experience perspective.
—
To re-iterate: while most Android phones have had wireless (contact-based) inductive charging, its implementation in most Android phones leaves a lot to be desired. It is more or less experimental. My guess is that Apple is headed in a totally different direction and will roll out truly wireless charging (where you can actually walk the room around and use your phone while it is being charged) now or sometime in the future.
So, outside of the in-vehicle use case scenario, contact wireless charging the way it has been implemented is quite useless, as most solutions require the phone to be in contact with the charging pad… often preventing you from actually using the phone.
PS: the Apple Watch uses contact-based inductive/wireless charging… so this tech is not foreign to Apple. Again, its a matter of feature vs. solution.
Kinda of a wait and see..BTW if true Apple 8 will only support qi wireless charging. PMA tech in GM overrides and still will not work with ANY APPLE IPHONE..
This GM product sounds cool but it ties you to buying wireless charging. Or at least you pay for wireless charging whether or not you’ll ever use it. I believe a better feature is Fast Charging. My OnePlus 3 has it.
The convenience of the GM product is the notion you jump in and out of car without having to plug in your phone. True. Very true. But if your phone can be plugged in once and fast charge a day’s charge in under 30 minutes — it means you probably don’t need to keep plugging it back in when you do errands. And this is presuming your phone was low when you got in the car.
I like fast charging because it heats up the charger instead of the phone.
What about The Apple iPhone 7 or 6 for that matter ?
Specifically as it relates to what?
Apple did not include wireless charging in the iP6/6S or 7. So that leaves you with the aftermarket for battery packs etc. Nothing GM can do there.
Thousand dollars for a phone. My first Camaro cost $2000. F$$$$ing Nixon Took us off the gold standard and destroyed our money.
Well I hope GM does a better job sizing their chargers.
My Canyon has a charger but my I phone plus would not fit it even if it had wireless charging.
This has been a complaint with the new Colorado and Canyon owners.
The Cadillac ELR is ready to go?
Good news for the seven folks who bought one in June!
Makes me wonder which one will be sold out first the ELR or the Buick Verano.
i hope there is a box so i can un-check this option. my cell phone battery probably ran low 3 or 4 times in a given year while i was driving. and if recharging involves a usb port and a cable, big deal.
it seems like the only way to go for technophiles is to lease a vehicle. if having the latest technology is a high priority, you’ll never be happy with what you have. and god forbid if something not under warranty breaks. that $5 sensor will cost hundreds to diagnose/repair.
i want usable technology; not gimmicks and party tricks.
Is placing your phone on a pad to charge it and not having to mess around with a cable not “usable” technology on your world? Because it is for me…
Also, most power users have their battery run low 2 or 3 times A DAY!
Look up Everything Apple Pro on youtube for those interested in the upcoming Apple iPhone 7S & 8, He generally gets most of the leaks put together in a sensible way & around 10 minutes to view. While he is an Apple fan much like the writer of this article, he can also be objective. He has also covered their wireless charging long ago.
With what he posted yesterday (7-11) am thinking there are going to be some irritated iPhone fans. Seems Apple wants to move the iPhone 8 upscale. Like Lexus is to Toyota for example. So some rumored insane price increases for those wanting that top of the line 10th anniversary iP8. Again, just rumored, so will have to wait & see the official announcements in Sept.
“Based on what we have observed, very few owners of GM vehicles with wireless charging functionality who also use iPhones do not have a case that supports inductive charging, meaning that the wireless charging functionality in their vehicles goes unused.”
I think you mean to say ” very few owners of GM vehicles with wireless charging functionality who also use iPhones have a case that supports…”
The way the sentence reads in the article currently is contradictory.
I have an iphone 8 and it won’t work with the charging pad in my 2018 Colorado. Any suggestions
Yep, so much for that. iPhone 8 will NOT work with GM charging pads. Confirmed at my dealer today. So pretty much useless to me.
I called about mine, as well. Verizon, Apple, and Chevy seem to have no idea what I am talking about. I am taking my Tahoe to the dealer. I read that a 2018 charging pad DOES work. I will be seeing if the parts are interchangeable and trying to get that installed. Wireless charging in my truck is the only reason I bought the iPhone 8 instead of the 8 plus. I will be exchanging the phone if this doesn’t work.
It definitely is not compatible with the 2017 Chevy Tahoe. I wonder – Can anyone confirm what I have read about the iPhone 8 working with the 2018 model charging pad?
I have the iPhone 8 and a 2018 Chevy Equinox … sad to say the wireless charging is a bust, doesn’t work, Chevy seems to have its butt covered b/c the iPhone 8 isn’t on their list of compatible phones for wireless charging. Can you say PO’d???
Now a days all mobile phones are supporting wireless charging. Recently I have braught iPhone X. Its simply supporting wireless charing effoertlessly. Its amazing features.
New iPhone with an all-new design that includes a curved bezel-less display.It is expected to commemorate the iPhone’s tenth anniversary.Panda
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