Car makers are showing their interest in wireless charging as a General Motors executive is chairing a standards effort that hopes to set interoperability standards for the magnetic induction approach. Toyota and Ford said they also are interested in the technology and the standards effort.

The Consumer Electronics Association is trying to set a baseline for interoperability for chargers using magnetic coupling. One spec will target connections of less than 1 cm from coil to coil while another will address a 2-6 cm distance. The group will also try to define power efficiency and standard nomenclature for different technical approaches. The committee has said they will look at all the technologies that could provide wireless charging such as optical, RF and conductive as well as inductive approaches.

Smartphone apps for car functions and controls are a high priority for car makers now as the activity in this area has taken off quickly. Wireless charging is another point of integration and convenience to smartphone users. Although Toyota did not seem to think it is a high priority at this point, most car makers are working in this direction.