The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) has this week released the USB Type-C Specification Revision 2.1, and it introduces a very welcome (and powerful) new feature.
Existing USB-C cables are capable of delivering up to 100 watts of power, but as The Verge reports, the latest spec revision increases it to 240 watts. The change means future USB-C ports will be able to power and charge a lot more of your kit, resulting in fewer cables and adapters to carry around.
Of course, it also means upgrading your cable and charger in order to take advantage of all that extra power. The cables capable of such high power delivery will be called Extended Power Range (EPR) cables. The USB-IF says all EPR cables will need to be Electronically Marked, with the so-called eMarker confirming the cable is capable of power delivery when checked by a system. The cables will also clearly be marked as 50V and 5A capable.
To help consumers easily identify an EPR cable, icons will be used "as defined by the USB-IF" so that it's possible to "confirm visually that the cable supports up to as high of PDP = 240W." It's not clear yet what form those icons will take and if there will be different ones available depending on the PDP limit of a cable, e.g. 100W or 240W.
The power adapters shipping with some gaming laptops are huge, so it will be interesting to see how compact a USB-C alternative ends up being. However, it's going to be more important than ever to ensure the cables, chargers, and hubs purchased to handle so much power are of a high quality and meet all requirements of the spec revision.