Are we all switching to USB ports instead of power outlets?


You see it more and more often in hotels: the possibility to charge your equipment directly via a USB socket. You no longer need to search for travel plugs, you can use the cable from your mobile phone directly. Will we all be switching to USB wall sockets later?

It does not seem that we are really going to trade them. In 2014 it was written that in 2021 the second class on the NS trains will most likely be supplied with sockets. The Dutch Railways will have to, because it is a condition that the government sets for train companies that are allowed to run on the main rail network until 2025. If NS does not do that, it risks a fine of 3 to 6 million a year. Also in the more modern Flix buses, for example, there is a normal socket. The reason that sockets are so popular is simple: they are much more powerful than just USB.

Wall outlet

Heavy equipment

A plug in the socket can carry 220 to 240 volts, which is something heavy equipment such as ovens, copiers and vacuum cleaners need. However, the standard of USB is gradually changing. It was also 10 Watt, which is not even enough for an iPad, but now USB can reach as much as 100 Watt at 20 volts and 5 amps. Even notebooks can be charged with this. Moreover, it is not easy to simply change the current power supply.

We now have alternating current of 240 Follows and direct current is required, which means that a network with this current is needed. Converting alternating current to direct current takes time and is associated with a lot of energy loss. And it takes effort: it is for that reason that the plugs of our smartphones always have a kind of block, where the alternating current to direct current is formed. Direct current lost AC power at the beginning of the last century when a standard was chosen, but now the demand for direct current is huge. Not only through laptops and smartphones: electric cars also often use this type of power.

Electrical outlets

AC and DC

Direct current is the cheapest to transport over long distances, but alternating current is the easiest to convert to other voltages. Alternating current cannot be stored in a battery. That is possible with direct current, which is why batteries always use that type of current. With a normal charging station you charge the car with alternating current, which is converted inside to direct current for the battery. However, fast charging points are direct current. A switch from alternating current to direct current is already made in the charger, so that this is not necessary in the car. Charging is faster because of this, but it is also more expensive because more power is used. It is also more expensive to make this technology possible in a charging station, which is reflected in the price.

USB “sockets” will be much more energy efficient. In the context of more sustainable use of electricity, replacing alternating current to direct current on a large scale would be very sensible. However, it must first be considered how large white goods appliances can also be charged. Moreover, it is not yet the case that houses are already equipped with a network with direct current points, so in the end we will probably switch to a hybrid form of both the known sockets and usb sockets. At the moment, however, it all still works fine via the plugs that we have, so the urgency is not high enough to fully opt for USB wall sockets.

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