Future Auto Tech: Built-In A/C For Your Smartphone

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What? A/C in the truck just for your smartphone? That’s the word coming from the General.

Several of GM’s 2016 car brands offering wireless charging will have Active Phone Cooling where A/C is pumped into the phone holder to keep the phone cool.

This industry-first technology should be available later down the road in pickups and SUVs.

Chevrolet says while occasional smartphone overheating is normal, it can be disconcerting as it saps the phone’s battery life and slows processing speeds, or the phone shuts down altogether.

Active Phone Cooling will keep smartphones cool in future GM vehicles.Active Phone Cooling will keep smartphones cool in future GM vehicles.

Active Phone Cooling works by using an air vent connected directly to the car’s air conditioning and ventilation system directed to the charging bin where the phone rests for wireless charging, sending cool air to help lower the phone’s temperature.

Active Phone Cooling operates only when the HVAC system is turned on by the driver.

“Over time, regular overheating can do permanent damage to the lithium ion batteries that power our smartphones. I always recommend keeping your phone in a cool, ventilated place, where it can stay at a comfortable room temperature, whether it’s charging or discharging,” said Jeffrey Van Camp, deputy editor of Digital Trends.

“Innovation doesn’t mean reinventing the wheel,” said Impala engineer Dan Lascu. “Sometimes simplicity offers the most elegant solution to a problem.”