Unbundling the sale of a charger from the sale of the electronic device .
The 'common charging' requirements will apply to all handheld mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, portable speakers, handheld videogame consoles, e-readers, earbuds, keyboards, mice, and portable navigation systems as of 2024. These requirements will also apply to laptops as of 2026. Such transition periods will give industry sufficient time to adapt before the entry into application.
Consumers will be able to purchase a new electronic device without a new charger. This will limit the number of chargers on the market or left unused. Reducing production and disposal of new chargers is estimated to reduce the amount of electronic waste by 980 tonnes yearly
Producers will need to provide relevant visual and written information about charging characteristics, including information on the power the device requires and whether it supports fast charging. This will help consumers understand if their existing chargers meet their new device’s requirements and/or help them select a compatible charger. Combined with the other measures, this will help consumers to limit the number of new chargers purchased and save at least €250 million a year on unnecessary charger purchases.
Some Chinese manufacturers are already working on undermining this by releasing 12V non-PD devices that use the plug. Those devices are not compatible with regular chargers and if you use their power supply for something else that device will be destroyed (because it’s designed for 5V not 12).
To be fair, that is true of a lot of dropship stuff on Amazon and EBay already. Claiming EC marking and the like they just don't meet. The EU needs to come down hard on these market platforms. It's unfair on legitimate manufacturers and bad/unsafe for consumers.
Well, it's not 2024 just yet. And besides that, I don't think it's possible to completely control everything that gets imported, but I reckon it's going to be a rather rare occurrence in the future.
I reckon it’s going to be a rather rare occurrence in the future.
Tech illiterate folks who lack the sense to get concerned by how cheap stuff on AliExpress is (or more accurately, Temu in my MIL's case) will get burned by this for sure