The idea of a USB Type-C cables charging just about anything has been limited by the amount of power they can deliver. Club3D, a small retailer, has launched a new cable which can deliver up to 240W of power. The company has three cables ready to choose; two which are fully featured for transmission of power and data and video, and another which is limited to power and slower (USB 2.0) data.
We reported on the updated specification which is behind the design of these new cables nearly a year ago. In May 2021, the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) released the USB-C v2.1 update which outlined Extended Power Range (EPR) standard. Specifically, this standard allows for USB-C to support power delivery up to 240W, which is up to 48V at 5A.
Before the USB-C v2.1 update, the standard was limited to 100W (20V at 5A) power delivery. This is why it was rare to find any creator or gaming laptop which would even trickle charge with USB-C power for a time.
CAC 1573 | CAC-1575 | CAC-1576 | |
|---|---|---|---|
Power | 240W | 240W | 240W |
Data | USB 2.0 480 Mbps | USB 4 Gen 2x2 20 Gbps | USB 4 Gen 3x2 40 Gbps |
Video via DP-Alt mode | NA | Up to 4K/60Hz | Up to 8K/60Hz |
Length | 2m | 2m | 1m |
The emergence of these revamped cables is exciting, but what we need now are some chargers and devices that can make use of the new capabilities. Club3D's own charger series maxes out at 132W.
USB-C charging at up to 240W should be ample for most mainstream laptops, except those sporting the most powerful CPUs and GPUs currently available.
At the time of writing we couldn't find any information about retail availability for the new cables, and no pricing has been announced.