Wireless charging is a great concept, but isn't practical for everyday use. These flashy power mats are now being integrated into cars. Chrysler has announced a new conductive charging system for the 2013 Dodge Dart. The charging mat comes built into the car's center console, and will only work with a special phone case, which Chrysler says there will be available for a variety of smartphones. The system uses conductive charging much like what you'd find in pads made by Wildcharge, and will start charging your phone once the car is turned on. The price of the in-car mat is $199.99, with the case included - however, that price doens't include installation. Why not just get a car charger from BuyChargeAll for $19??? This new instillation is cool... but it's just to charge your phone - something that can be done with a $19 charger.
Chrysler has not announced how much separate phone cases will cost as of now. Chrysler's solution is proprietary, so it won't be compatible with existing brands like Powermat or Qi. The word is that GM has been promising a similar feature for vehicles like the Chevy Volt for some time, after it invested $5 million into powermat at the beginning of 2011. However, its solution would use inductive charging, which requires the charger and gadget to be aligned, making it a bit more of a headache for a moving vehicle. Chrysler's system will only be available on the Dart for now, which will be launching in the second quarter of this year.
