The EU is back at it again after proposing the required return of removable batteries. This has been in the rumor mill for a while now, but members of the European Parliament have brought forward a new clause under voting. Read more on this EU USB-C policy below.

We first caught wind of this policy in 2020 when the EU parliament was ruled in absolute favor (582-40) of standardizing chargers so that consumers no longer have to purchase new ones with every device they use. As the most common standard nowadays, eyes were set on USB-C as the golden ticket until a new technological innovation comes along.

Expectedly, Apple had quite a lot to say about this. They are the main suspects for using proprietary cables such as the lightning port, after all. The US tech giant even went as far as hiring an independent group to perform a study, which led to a conclusion that this move would cost consumers far more than any environmental impact could justify. Some find this to be a noble stand, while others aren’t as ecstatic about it.

Late in 2021, members of the European Parliament expanded the reach of this EU USB-C proposal. It now encompasses not only smartphones and tablets but all forms of consumer electronic devices such as laptops, handheld gaming consoles, cameras, and more. We can imagine that they’ll be reasonable about this since USB-C does still have its hardware limits as a technology, despite its prowess.

There is a fear that some manufacturers may take to exclusively wireless charging devices to skirt this should it become law. We’ll receive more updates next month on its status and report it right away. Would you be OK with this in our home country? Let us know!