Most modern phones support wireless charging. This means you may not need regular (corded) car chargers to get them charged.
Adding a wireless charger to your vehicle makes it much easier to charge your phones while driving.
But then, wireless car charging has been standard in some cars produced in the last five years. To confirm this, check your owner’s manual.
In addition, most new vehicles from top auto manufacturers like Toyota, Honda, Chrysler, Ford, etc., come with built-in wireless car charging pads.
However, if your car doesn’t have this feature (wireless charging), you can add it yourself. Just follow the simple DIY methods explained below.
How to Add Wireless Charging to Car Setup
The three main methods of adding mobile wireless charging to a car are a phone mount, pad, or cup holder. Alternately, you can hardwire a pad in place, although this is significantly more expensive to do.
See the rest of the article, which explains these options in more detail and the products you buy.
To summarize these are the core products:
- MANKIW Wireless Car Mout Charger
- PolMXS Wireless Charging Pad
- POLMXS car wireless charger cup holder
Method 1: Installing a Wireless Charging Phone Mount
This is one of the most straightforward and most flexible methods to add wireless charging to a car.
There are quite a lot of mobile phone wireless charging mounts designed to fit into modern vehicles. Plus, they are easy to install.
MANKIW Wireless Car Charger is an ideal example of a good, high-quality wireless charging phone mount.
This phone mount looks like every other mobile phone mount for cars. However, it comes with a better suction cup, supports QC3.0, and offers up to 15W output power.
It is pretty easy to install or add a wireless charging phone mount to any car. All you need do is purchase the mount. Next is to unbox the item and press down the suction cup on your car dashboard or the air vent, depending on your setup.
Pros
- The setup process is much easier
- Phone mounts come in handy if you frequently drive with a map and GPS
- You can use your phone for calls and hands-free operations while driving
- Phone mount wireless chargers are usually more affordable
Cons
- The phone mount suction cup may loosen up over time.
- Phone mount chargers typically do not have built-in batteries. Therefore, they must be connected to your car’s USB port before they can charge your phone wirelessly.
Method 2: Qi Wireless Charging pads
Using Qi wireless phone charging pads is another simple way to add wireless charging into your vehicle.
These charging pads are designed to fit various phone models that support Qi charging technology. You can use them in any environment, not just in your car.
The PolMXS Wireless Charging Pad is a decent option you can get in the market. It supports up to 10W fast charge technology and works for all phones that support Qi wireless charging.
Good phones that support Qi wireless charging include many iPhones, Samsung Galaxy Note10/S10/S9/S8(C3), etc.
One of the reasons to choose this method is because it is easy to set up.
Pros
- Does not require an initial setup. Simply plug in the USB cable, and it starts working.
- You can place the charging pad anywhere in the car
- Wireless charging pads can typically accommodate any phone size
- It can be used anywhere; not just in the car
Cons
- You won’t be able to use maps or GPS with this type of wireless charger
- The maximum output is usually 10W
Method 2.1: Wireless Charging Cup Holders
Wireless charging cup holders are another way to charge your Qi-compatible devices wirelessly while driving.
In addition, wireless cup holders protect your phone from falling or sliding while you go.
They are pretty aesthetically appealing and come in different designs.
A decent example of a suitable wireless charging cup holder is the POLMXS car wireless charger cup with a 10w output rating.
One obvious con to this is that you’ll be down a cup holder!
Method 3: Fixed Installation
If you don’t want to use add-ons like wireless phone charging mounts and pads, you could install a wireless charger adapter into your vehicle. However, this method may not work for everyone.
This method is mainly recommended for cars with a dedicated phone slot in the center console.
An excellent example of such a car is the 2015 Silverado 1500.
To install it,
- Get a wireless charging adapter
- Open up the center console and install the adapter in there
- Run the cable in the neatest manner
- Close up the console
Here’s a YouTube video to help you understand it better.
Pros
- It makes everything look natural, like your car came with built-in wireless charging capability
- Your phone would remain in place without pulling out or shifting as you drive
Cons
- It is quite technical
- It takes a lot of time to practice
- Wireless carplay audio quality might not be as good as the wired solution
Summary
While there might be other ways to add wireless charging to cars, these are the three main methods. Any of these are great options to charge your phone without a cigarette lighter.
They are safe and easier to do.
However, the first and second methods are much easier in practice. They don’t require much installation time.
Another factor people don’t consider when they have wireless charging is that they can then take full advantage of wireless carplay and android auto without worrying about their phone dying.
