[car0800]

charging current is only the minimum USB 2.0 spec of 500mA which is ancient... c'mon, this is an omission. The new Civic has a 1.5Amp port. My Nexus 6P charged only 10% in 1 hour using the port in my car which is ridiculous. Amphere app measured about 390 mA being supplied on a consistent basis. For the record my Nexus 6P requires a full 3000 mA to charge at full speed. I understand that having 3 Amps available is an unrealistic expectation but at least provide 1.5 like the new Civic does.

I sometimes don't really understand how the engineers can be so thorough with some aspects of the car and not give a F about some other aspects that are much more visible.

 

[Valor_X]

Why complain?
The main focus of the USB ports are for media use, not to charge your device
Plug in a separate charger in the 12v power port like I did
my flash drives with music take up the USB ports anyway
The center console even has a hole to pass a cable through it with the lid closed.. so I would think that they did actually think about it

 

[GerryB]

Why complain?
The main focus of the USB ports are for media use, not to charge your device
Plug in a separate charger in the 12v power port like I did
my flash drives with music take up the USB ports anyway
The center console even has a hole to pass a cable through it with the lid closed.. so I would think that they did actually think about it

This.

Sent from a Samsung that doesn't explode.

 

[VoodooJef]

It`s intended to be a "media port", not a "charging port". My 2.5a charger worked like a champ in the 12v socket. Not trying to be dickish, just bringing the other side of perspective in.

 

[Martin2000GTS]

I have never even used the USB port. Blue tooth for the music works great. and 12v and charger charges up way faster!

 

[louisbosco]

Blue tooth for the music works great. and 12v and charger charges up way faster!

not unless you still use an ipod classic like me

 

[frankis]

That is disappointing that a new vehicle doesn't offer a more current current (har har) built-in, but like many have said it's an easy though unfortunate and necessary fix e.g. purchasing additional peripherals for adequate charging.

 

[amdhunter]

I haven't had a chance to check - but does the 12V turn off with ignition? I only had my car a few days now and it's been crappy weather in NYC so I've had 0 change to play with anything in the car yet.

I had an RX-8 previously and only the front 12V accessory would turn off with ignition, the one in the center console was always hot. Annoyed the hell out of me as I can leave my car parked for up to 2 weeks at a time. Don't want something draining the battery in the background.

 

[GerryB]

12v socket stays hot when ignition is off. I wish it didn't, but that's how it is.

Sent from a Samsung that doesn't explode.

 

[Matt22]

I agree with Gerry, I would rather use the switched USB to charge my phone vs the Cig Lighter.
That being said I am also incredibly frustrated at the slow charge rate. So I will be buying the Cig adapter.

 

[harweyko]

Hmm, european models switch off the cigarette lighter once engine is turned off, I use it as camera source.
Regarding USB charging, yes, 0.5A is slow, 1.5A would be better, but than someone will cry that he has QC2 or QC3 or VOOC or some other fastcharge technology in his phone and that he wants the one he uses to be implemented. So rather buy power source that suits your needs than ask car producer to implement billion types of possible services that are at the end used by few users..

 

[GerryB]

A dual USB adapter for the 12v socket works pretty well.

Sent from a Samsung that doesn't explode.

 

[car0800]

Why complain?
The main focus of the USB ports are for media use, not to charge your device
Plug in a separate charger in the 12v power port like I did
my flash drives with music take up the USB ports anyway
The center console even has a hole to pass a cable through it with the lid closed.. so I would think that they did actually think about it

because the 12v port is always on and I have to plug in and remove it manually whenever I park to prevent it from nuking the charger or worse the recepticle because it's continuously on 24/7.

I disagree that the ports are only for music and not charging... this is not the design of other cars i've seen. In addition USB 3 has been around for years now and it specifies a minimum charging current of 900 mA so it's not even that. Yes, it's a small issue but the segment is absolutely cut throat and if the car maker wants to stay ahead of the curve they need to pay attention to all these details, especially if Mazda wants to improve market share.

 

[Valor_X]

because the 12v port is always on and I have to plug in and remove it manually whenever I park to prevent it from nuking the charger or worse the recepticle because it's continuously on 24/7.

I disagree that the ports are only for music and not charging... this is not the design of other cars i've seen.

I've left mine plugged in for 2 years and nothing has happened
The only thing that happens is the little led power indicator stays on - that's not enough to drain the battery

In fact, I have a Noco Genius 3500 that I plug in every now and then to check my battery and it's always near 100%

 

[ElNino77]

I used to use the cig lighter but removed the adapter after a long trip during "clean out mode" and have been using the USB since - has not bugged me enough to add back the cig adapter.

I did install an additional usb port to the left of the steering wheel - here's an old pic, it's since been mounted in a different spot flush against underside of dash - i believe i wired this to a fuse that turns on/off with car IIRC. Note this is strictly for power, not hooked to stereo - i wonder if there are usb outputs on back? There are on my cheapo BOSS stereo in my forester...can hook just about anything up to that thing.

 

[BrianU]

If I NEED to really charge my phone during high period of demand that the internal USB ports cannot provide, I use this:

Aukey CC-T8 Car Charger with Dual Quick Charge 3.0 Ports

 

[mil]

Actually, the built-in USB ports are 1000mA, not 500. But, being USB 2.0 ports, intelligent devices like cell phones automatically limit themselves to only draw 500mA, as mandated by the USB specs.

What you need is a dedicated charging-only USB cable (you know, with data wires shorted, Google it if you don't know what I mean) and then the cell phone will be happy to draw 1A.

 

[da_jokker]

I have to agree with the OP... I also figured that I could just plug my phone in. After all, with other cars making use of Apple\Android "play" and all other technologies, I figured I just needed to plug my phone in. Seems like it is enough to keep your phone from going dead (say as you are driving around or on a road trip), but doesn't seem to output enough to actually charge the thing withing any reason.

In other recent threads, sounds like Mazda may be coming out with Apply Play. So how is that going to work with a non-charging USB port? I also know there is an Android Auto "aftermarket" add on.. again doesn't these require the USB cable?

Just saying, would it have killed Mazda to allow up to 1.5 or 2 amps on a USB port, especially with USB being the prominent connector of the mass electronics out there now. I like Mazda (so much I own 2 of them).. but it's all this little stuff where they cut corners that is really starting to add up against them.

 

[Izacus]

The problem is, that there's no >500mA charging spec over USB 2.0 (the ones installed in your Mazda). All the fast-charging specs before USB 3.0 are proprietary and differ between manufacturers (e.g. one for Apple iPhones, one for Samsungs, etc. etc.) and most of them don't allow you to charge and send data over the cables at once (Apple's spec and some of the bleeding edge Qualcomm specs being special). That's probably the reason why only 500mA ports are installed and that probably won't change until USB-C ports are in there

 

[TN3239]

I have the same issue where the USB port can't charge my phone faster than it uses power while using Google Maps. Found instructables. com/id/USB-Condom/ that I'm going to try out today.