It has happened to all of us: running out of battery in our mobile phone and at the least opportune moment. Especially when we have to contact a client, we wait for an important call or we have a meeting. We won’t be able to do it until we recharge it. There are options so that our device does not become inoperative, but we do not always have an external battery on top. Luckily, the EU is determined to make this problem happen less frequently by legislating to make mobile batteries last longer, according to ITnews.
It is clear that mobile phone batteries do not last forever and have a limited lifespan. And that over time they are downloaded more easily, and can even be completely damaged. For this reason, the European Commission seeks improve the battery of both mobile phones and tabletsas well as the availability of the necessary spare parts to repair the terminals.
With this objective on the horizon, from Brussels they already have proposals with which they want to force telephone manufacturers to supply professional repairmen with at least 15 different parts since a mobile goes on sale so that it can be repaired without difficulty. And that these remain available for at least five years after said launch.
The EC seeks to end this way with the recurring excuse that “this phone cannot be fixed because it is old and there are no replacement parts”. European regulators want make things easier for consumersand that by law they have guaranteed access to batteries, chargers, back covers, screens, SIM and memory card trays.
The goal is none other than improve the options available when repairing smartphones and tablets. And with it also reduce the carbon footprint in Europe. One of the points that, in addition, is found in the 2030 Agenda. This would reduce the number of electronic waste and encourage the reuse of materials and recycling.
Mobile phones with a longer useful life by law
Extending the life cycle of a smartphone – many do not reach two years – would be the equivalent of removing up to five million cars from the road, according to a comparison published by The Financial Times.
If finally this new proposal goes ahead a new energy label would also be introduced on the smartphones and tablets themselves. Something similar to what happens in the EU with televisions and appliances. It would indicate the approximate duration of the phone’s battery -provided that the owner of the phone makes good use of the terminal-, and other complementary information such as, for example, the resistance of the phone against falls or how to protect it against dust or Water.
In qualitative terms, the draft sets a goal that devices can reach 80% of their normal capacity even after 1,000 full charge cycles. If you typically recharge a phone once a day, that would mean almost three years of battery life as good as new.
However, the demands of Brussels would not end here. They would force manufacturers to be obliged to ensure that software updates have no negative effects in the life of the battery itself, especially in cheaper or low-cost devices.
At the beginning of this year, the European Union already put its focus on mobile phones. And last June, the European Parliament approved the universal charger for this. A law that will also force companies to allow consumers to choose whether they want to buy each new device with or without a charger. An option that will allow savings of 250 million a year by avoiding useless purchases of chargers, and also in the use of up to 600 tons of raw materials.
