How a new EU law affects Garmin products sold in the UK and USA

Announced in November 2022, the Common Charger Directive (2022/2380) is now a significant piece of EU legislation affecting how we charge our electronic devices and how they are designed, with consequences for wearable and sports brands like Garmin, Apple and Wahoo. This new directive will change key aspects of the tech industry, particularly affecting the charging standards for devices like wearables and certain accessories.

Although the directive directly applies only to products sold in the EU, various practical factors will conspire to standardise products sold in the UK, USA, and elsewhere.

Here, we look at aspects of product design that will affect Garmin, such as the legality of existing products going forward and changes to the likelihood of Garmin switching more toward wireless charging.

What the EU Common Charger Directive Means for Garmin

The EU Common Charger Directive mandates that from 28 December 2024, all new handheld electronic devices sold in the EU must adopt a USB-C charging port. This includes smartphones, tablets, e-readers, portable speakers, and some wearables (caveats later). This directive aims to reduce electronic waste and improve consumer convenience by standardizing charging ports across devices, allowing one charger to work for multiple gadgets.

Scope

The directive applies to new handheld and portable electronic devices.

inReach is included in the scope. Varia lights and Edge computers may be excluded. The legislation partially covers smartwatches.

Smartwatch Exemption under the EU Directive

The EU Common Charger Directive exempts wearables, specifically smartwatches, from the USB-C mandate. These devices can continue using proprietary charging solutions, even if they require USB connections for power transmission.

Note: The general rationale applies to exempt classes of products like watches and rings that are too small to fit a USB-C port.

Therefore, new Garmin wearables like the upcoming Instinct 3 are exempt from the EU’s USB-C mandate. However, a large smart watch incorporating a USB port may NOT be exempt.

Wireless Charging Exemption under the EU Directive

However, products that exclusively rely on wireless charging, like a future wirelessly charged Garmin Vivomove Trend 2 or Apple Watch, are also exempt due to the exclusive charging method.

While many smartwatches, including the Apple Watch, use magnetic wireless charging, bypassing the need for a wired USB-C port, the directive focuses on the charging method. If a device is charged by wireless methods – such as the Apple Watch’s magnetic charging puck- it does not fall under the USB-C requirement, even though it might still use a USB connection on the other end of the charging cable.

Q: Does the cable that powers a wireless charging puck for a smart ring like Oura need to be USB-C at one or both ends

A: Yes. I believe so. USB-A cannot be used to connect to a power block

Garmin’s existing products are exempt.

Further exemptions apply to existing products on sale before 28 December 2024.

Thus, the Varia Smart Radar RTL515 is exempt even though it uses a micro USB charging cable and isn’t wirelessly charged or wearable.

A replacement product would need to support USB-C. We saw this with the Varia RCT715 smart radar camera light.

Q: What constitutes a new product under the legislation?

A: It is either wholly new or significantly modified. A new product batch sold in 2024 would not be classed as new.

There will be no immediate changes for existing Garmin products, such as the Garmin Fenix 8 or Garmin Edge 540. These products will remain allowed to be sold in the UK, as they were released before the directive’s enforcement date of December 2024. However, future Garmin products released in the UK after the regulation takes effect will likely comply with the USB-C standard to ensure consistency across the EU and UK markets.

Impact on Garmin Products in the UK, USA and elsewhere

Following its exit from the European Union, the UK has a separate regulatory framework. Still, it is likely to voluntarily adopt similar regulations to the EU’s Common Charger Directive. The UK government has started a consultation process to determine if it should align with the EU’s push for USB-C standardization to avoid unnecessary supply chain complexity.

This means that Garmin products sold in the UK will follow the EU’s lead, with new devices needing to adopt USB-C for wired charging. Problems only occur when there is conflicting regulation. Currently, a company can sell the same USB-charged product in the UK and EU. Ironically, Varia RTL515 cannot be sold in France and Germany because of laws prohibiting flashing lights attached to a bike! It seems the UK is more in compliance with this EU law than the entirety of the EU itself. (Kinda!)

The bottom line for companies here is that they will seek to sell one SKU that complies with UK and EU law.

Impact on Garmin Products in the USA

This is a trickier situation to assess. If we look at new Apple Watch releases, they have historically been released as three different regional SKU variants. I believe this is due to several variable compliance requirements – for example, as required by the FDA for health and FCC for communications. It will be the same for Garmin.

Unlike the EU and the UK, the USA has no legislation requiring a universal charging standard like USB-C. This means that Garmin will not face any immediate regulatory pressure to adopt USB-C for products sold in the US. Devices using micro USB or proprietary charging cables can still be sold and used in the US without any legal concerns.

However, Garmin’s global manufacturing strategy will encourage the company to align its regional product designs. Standardizing charging methods, including adopting USB-C, will reduce production costs and simplify product offerings across the global market. Furthermore, consumer expectations in the US may influence Garmin to move toward USB-C as consumers become more accustomed to universal chargers, particularly with rising demand for USB-C compatibility across all types of tech products.

The bottom line when selling into the USA is that there are bigger compliance issues than posed by USB-C.

It’s easier to use USB-C.

How the EU’s Common Charger Directive Could Influence Garmin’s Future Design Choices

Garmin was aware of the EU directive years before it was activated. While wearables like the Garmin Fenix 8 and Garmin Varia RTL515 (which use wireless charging or proprietary charging methods) are exempt from the USB-C requirement, other products that use wired charging will be required to switch to USB-C. This includes future versions of products like the Garmin Edge bike computers and other accessories.

Garmin will also have reacted to consumer preference for USB-C, which, let’s face it, is superior to micro USB – it’s easier to plug the cable in!

USB – PD

The USB Power Delivery (USB PD) standard is a technical specification developed and maintained by the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF), an industry consortium responsible for USB standards. While it is not a law or regulation, its adoption is being reinforced by legal mandates like the EU Common Charger Directive (2022/2380).

Smartwatches typically require 5W to 10W for charging. This is covered by the USB PD, which also encompasses smartphones requiring over 50w

Manufacturers must include USB PD support in devices sold in the EU by 28 December 2024.

The Environmental Impact and Consumer Benefits

The EU Common Charger Directive is driven by a broader goal of reducing electronic waste. By standardizing charging cables, the EU aims to minimize the number of chargers produced and discarded yearly. This will eventually have a positive environmental impact, especially for companies like Garmin, which produces various devices with varying charging cables. Anecdotally, it seems that in the short term, many customers are turning to various adapters and cable splitters to cope with their mix of current and legacy charging needs. It’s probably created waste in the short term.

A further benefit will be purchasing devices without chargers; this stops us from buying a new cable and charger and makes the packaging smaller. Smaller packages further reduce international shipping costs based on volumetric weight.

However, with smartwatches being exempt, expect reviewers like me to amass an ever-larger collection of proprietary cables.

Challenges and Opportunities for Garmin

The new legislation will help slightly streamline Garmin’s cycling products and inReach handhelds, although Garmin was probably moving toward USB-C adoption.

Wireless charging pucks and assemblies might become cheaper, and Garmin may still add more wirelessly charged products to its range. After all, a wirelessly charged watch doesn’t need a part, so a future Fenix could be more easily waterproofed.

However, I wish Garmin would make a better charging cable and port for its watches; in some ways, I still prefer cables, even if only because they are a more energy-efficient way to charge. Wired Charging typically achieves 85–95% efficiency, with only a small percentage of energy lost as heat during power transfer. With wireless charging, the efficiency ranges from 50–80%, depending on the technology and alignment of the charging coils.

Take Out

As of 1st January 2025, none of Garmin’s products are affected. The legislation only affects new products that don’t meet one of the exemption criteria – like watches or wirelessly charged devices.

Garmin started planning and implementing its compliance months/years ago. Its products will comply with EU standards as long as they don’t conflict with standards elsewhere.

Effectively this EU standard could become a global standard.

The new cables are objectively better than what came before, and we must all be keen to reduce the amount of cables we have at home. Even keener to know we don’t have to buy an adapter when we go on a foreign holiday. Garmin and other companies might anticipate slightly reduced design, packaging and shipping costs.

All in all – a good thing.

• Smartwacthes are exempt.
• Wholly wirelessly charged products are exempt.
• Products sold in and before 2024 are exempt.
• UK and US laws do not have to follow EU laws.
• Common charging cable sizes and charging methods have significant consumer benefits.