Analysis

215+ leading companies support Qi wireless charging standard

31st August 2016
Barney Scott
0

Founded in 2008, the Wireless Power Consortium is backed by 215+ leading companies that support the Qi (pronounced “chee”) wireless charging standard. These companies represent a diverse range of industries including mobile and consumer electronics, semiconductors, magnetics, contract design and manufacturing groups, wireless operators, furniture and automotive manufacturers. 

The WPC is open to everyone worldwide and its member companies are based in 20 different countries. WPC members collaborate to continually evolve the Qi standard to ensure safety, interoperability, ease of use and low cost.  

Qi is designed to power the consumers’ daily journey. There are Qi products and services now available to address home, automotive, office and hospitality applications. The Qi vision is that consumers can charge their mobile device wherever they need to and by doing so, never have to worry about running out of power. When deployed ubiquitously, Qi wireless charging puts an end to battery anxiety.  If it has the Qi logo, any receiver will work with any transmitter, no matter the manufacturer, anywhere in the world.

Qi: the global standard for wireless charging

  • Qi is an established, evolving global wireless charging standard that supports closely and loosely coupled power transfer, while ensuring full backward compatibility with all Qi devices.
  • Qi is capable of scaling from less than 1 watt to over 2,000 watts of power, safely and efficiently.  With this wide power range, Qi supports applications from wearables, cell phones, tablets, notebooks, power tools and even kitchen appliances.
  • The latest version of the Qi specification supports wireless fast-charging at 15 watts
  • Qi fully supports the capability to charge multiple devices at once with full spatial freedom.

The thriving Qi ecosystem

  • Qi has a global installed base of 150+ million devices
  • More than 90 smartphones are Qi-enabled from today’s top handset manufacturers.
  • There are more than 1,015 Qi certified products on the market, including 300+ transmitters/charging products and associated enterprise services.
  • More than 215 WPC member companies in 20 countries are designing and creating Qi products that are offered worldwide. Some members include Belkin, Dell, Haier IKEA, LG, Microsoft, Motorola, Panasonic Philips, Samsung, Sony Verizon, among many others.
  • There is a worldwide network of WPC-authorized certification labs to ensure that products bearing the Qi logo are always backward compatible and interoperable.

Qi Powering the consumer Journey:  in cars, hotels, restaurants, airports and a range of public spaces

  • More than 40 models of cars now offer Qi charging, including: Audi A4 and Q7; BMW 7 Series; Cadillac ATS Cadillac CTS, Cadillac Escalade, Cadillac SRX; Chevrolet Cruz, Volt, Tahoe and Suburban; GMC Yukon and Yukon Denali; Jeep Cherokee; Lexus NX and LX570; Nissan Maxima; SsangYong Chairman (South Korea); Toyota Avalon, Camry, Noah, Hamler, Land Cruiser, Prius and Tacoma.
  • With the rollout of Qi in restaurants, hotels and airports, the entire travel experience could be supported by wireless charging; from the bed-side charger, to the car, to the office, airport and hotel.
  • There are more than 4,000 public Qi charging locations and the list grows daily.  Major brands like McDonald’s, Marriott, Ibis and many more have built Qi into their properties. Airports around the world are deploying Qi charging stations.  Businesses like Facebook, Google, Deloitte and Cisco have built Qi into their corporate offices.

Qi is projected to continue its growth:

  • According to IHS, 160 million wireless receivers will ship this year, up from 55 million in 2014. With the shipment of Qi products doubling each year, Qi wireless charging has entered mainstream adoption.
  • ABI Research forecasts that through 2020, 713 million Qi products will ship.

“The WPC, with its Qi standard, leads shipments today, and ABI Research believes it will maintain its lead with both its inductive and next-generation resonant modes. PC’s Qi standard has a big lead both in the direct-to-consumer retail charging pad market, notably in the Samsung Wireless Charging Pad, and in public charging stations, with thousands of locations, compared to Powermat’s hundreds. Public charging stations are viewed as an important driver for expanding consumer awareness and as a way to highlight the convenience of wireless charging. Early awareness is being driven by the incorporation of wireless charging capabilities into smartphones, which will account for around 84% of all wireless charging receivers by the end of 2015.”

--  ABI Research Analyst Shelli Bernard. October 6, 2015

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