GM invests in Powermat to eliminate power cords in vehicles

General Motors and Powermat, a pioneer in inductive-based, wireless charging technology, announced a commercial agreement today that will eliminate the need for charging cords for personal electronic devices in many future Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac products beginning mid-2012.

GM Ventures, the venture capital subsidiary of General Motors (NYSE: GM), will invest $5 million in Powermat, a private firm founded in 2007, to accelerate the technology’s development and support efforts to grow Powermat’s business globally.

Powermat is also a ‘smart’ technology sensing when a device is fully charged and then halting power delivery at optimal charging capacity; effectively eliminating energy waste. The company already offers wireless charging products for the home in a number of retail stores, including Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart.

According the media.gm.com news release, obviously revealed at 2011 CES in Las Vegas, the Chevrolet Volt will be the first target for the technology.

The technology allows electronic devices – smart phones, MP3 players and gaming devices – to be charged safely and efficiently, according to Powermat CEO Ran Poliakine.

According the Powermat website, charging an iPhone 4 is as simple as setting it down! And wirelessly charging your Motorola DROID X phone is seamless. Simply replace your existing Battery Door and you're ready to drop & charge.

Blackberry Bold 9700 Series is included in this, too. In fact, Powermat’s Complete solutions are pre-packaged bundles pairing a Powermat one position wireless charging mat and a wireless charging receiver to provide a seamless upgrade to wireless charging.

Powermat eliminates the tangle of wires that result from multiple cords overload; virtually eliminating ‘cord fatigue’ among consumers toting more and more “must have” gadgets. Nowhere is that more important than the interior of an automobile.

For the record, Powermat is the first company to not only perfect inductive-based wireless charging but to then bring it to consumers in a widely available, meaningful way via mainstream retail channels.

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