[lians60]

While browsing some accessories, I noticed this new item.... It appears that these cannot be retrofitted to 2019-2020 MYs, shame.

Subaru Ascent Wireless Charger / 2021 Models ONLY - H671SXC200 | Subaru Parts Warehouse, Branford CT

 

[Robert.Mauro]

It could probably be refitted for the 2019-2020, but, what I think is missing is a part of the harness. Great for the passenger phone. Not useful for those who use Android Auto or Apple Carplay.

https://techinfo.subaru.com/stis/doc/accInstallGuide/H671SXC200%20-%20Ascent%20Wireless%20Charger%20IxI.pdf

While browsing some accessories, I noticed this new item.... It appears that these cannot be retrofitted to 2019-2020 MYs, shame.

Subaru Ascent Wireless Charger / 2021 Models ONLY - H671SXC200 | Subaru Parts Warehouse, Branford CT

 

[JFDV]

Wireless charging without wireless carplay ? Something is missing.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

Wireless charging without wireless carplay ? Something is missing.

Almost no stock head unit has wireless Carplay, and even less have wireless Android Auto. I expect that to change in the next few years.

 

[JFDV]

Well it needs to happens now.

In my case it is a feature that I am looking at as I am fedup of cables in the car. VW Atlas has it. BMWs has it. Subaru needs to add it. They alreay have wifi in their car, wouldn't be a major update.
I do stand with this text :

Shopping For A New Vehicle - Be Sure It Has This Feature Or It Will Be Obsolete In 1 Year | Torque News

Infotainment is an important consideration when choosing a new vehicle. Here is one feature to be sure your new car has.

www.torquenews.com

 

[Robert.Mauro]

VW indicates they have neither (perhaps it's coming out in 2021?). BMW has Wireless Carplay, and, until 8 months ago, was the only car manufacturer on the planet that had it. As of 8 months ago, there were zero car manufacturers with wireless Android Auto (and one needed an aftermarket head unit to have wireless AA).

Having wireless in the car is not the same thing as having the ability to have wireless AA or CP.

And, Dennis "Clickbait" Flierl at Torque News says many things, none of which I concern myself with.

Well it needs to happens now.

In my case it is a feature that I am looking at as I am fedup of cables in the car. VW Atlas has it. BMWs has it. Subaru needs to add it. They alreay have wifi in their car, wouldn't be a major update.
I do stand with this text :

Shopping For A New Vehicle - Be Sure It Has This Feature Or It Will Be Obsolete In 1 Year | Torque News

Infotainment is an important consideration when choosing a new vehicle. Here is one feature to be sure your new car has.

www.torquenews.com

 

[JFDV]

VW indicates they have neither (perhaps it's coming out in 2021?). BMW has Wireless Carplay, and, until 8 months ago, was the only car manufacturer on the planet that had it. As of 8 months ago, there were zero car manufacturers with wireless Android Auto (and one needed an aftermarket head unit to have wireless AA).

Having wireless in the car is not the same thing as having the ability to have wireless AA or CP.

And, Dennis "Clickbait" Flierl at Torque News says many things, none of which I concern myself with.

It is indeed in their 2021 model. So is the 2021 Mazda CX-9.

 

[Robert.Mauro]

It is indeed in their 2021 model. So is the 2021 Mazda CX-9.

Good to know. Subaru will likely add it in the near future. I value safety and AWD over wireless Android Auto though. To each their own.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

They alreay have wifi in their car, wouldn't be a major update.

Just because the head unit has both Bluetooth and WiFI doesn't make it possible to add wireless AA and CP to the system. This has already been discussed elsewhere in the forum and like many vehicle manufacturers, the hardware can't support the wireless versions of these integrations. So a new head unit will be required. Maybe that will come with the mid-cycle refresh in MY22, but there's no guarantee about it. Very, very few vehicles support wireless AA/CP today. (The add on dongles for it don't seem to work with Subaru's system, either, to-date)

 

[9Rockr]

So anyone going to be the guiena pig to see if it can go into the 19-20's? 😁

 

[RobertD]

Interesting that the instructions for installing a part made for 2021 Ascents only were written in 2019.

I got to believe Torque News that unless you buy a new car with a feature that is not really that available that it will be obsolete in a year. I hope this is true because I wouldn’t mind picking up some really cool 2021 cars in 2022 for pennies on the dollar as they become obsolete and people are abandoning their inferior cars. I am guessing I will be able to get any year old car for pocket change. Classic cars are going to plummet in value. I am going to need a bigger barn because silly me - I think that wireless in a car is not a dealbreaker.

 

[MNFormerX5]

I wonder if the new wireless charger supports NFC. That is the direction everything is heading. BMW introduced it a few years ago where you could start your car with a card in the wireless tray. I had it an it actually worked...eventually. In July BMW and Apple announced the same functionality using an iPhone (Android was already supported). If I were a car maker, I would be heading in that direction along with wireless CarPlay/Android Auto.

These technologies are tricky in cars and BMW has been constantly messing around with them. Really started to make me nervous how much the car became software.

 

[justmatt]

If anyone does order this for their '21, please consider taking photos of the connectors on this.
I'm interested in doing a 1 off custom job for where my wife stores her phone, above the glovebox. Lots of other problems to solve with that!

 

[packout]

Almost no stock head unit has wireless Carplay, and even less have wireless Android Auto. I expect that to change in the next few years.

wouldn't the charging area need to be pretty robust since many phones are protected with a case? I know I have used them before but they are slower and hit or miss depending on the case and charger. Currently my S10 with case doesn't even fit laterally in the space under the head unit. The S10+ is even larger.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Wireless charging also requires a somewhat exact placement of a device on the charger for it to work properly. I have to be really careful with my bedside charger for that reason...there's not a lot of leeway for "the spot". I mention this relative to trying to install/use the OEM wireless charger in a place different than it's designed for. It may be worth looking at third party alternatives. Also, you don't want it coming off the same power points as the cable you're using for AA/CP. I could be wrong, but I think the two ports under the center stack cubby are the same power supply.

 

[justmatt]

Wireless charging also requires a somewhat exact placement of a device on the charger for it to work properly. I have to be really careful with my bedside charger for that reason...there's not a lot of leeway for "the spot". I mention this relative to trying to install/use the OEM wireless charger in a place different than it's designed for. It may be worth looking at third party alternatives. Also, you don't want it coming off the same power points as the cable you're using for AA/CP. I could be wrong, but I think the two ports under the center stack cubby are the same power supply.

Getting "the spot" right is tough too. I have two identical qi chargers, both behave differently with the same devices.
The trick IMO is less of getting the inductive coil in the right spot, or getting the unit powered, it's keeping the device "in the zone" e.g. modifying the tray above the glovebox to limit phone travel. That, and "end user education"

 

[Sparkland]

Forgetting about wireless Apple Carplay or Android Auto, and getting back to the OP's original question. You probably can get the wireless charging to work, if you purchase the Subaru OEM kit, and if you know a lot about wiring schematics.

I installed an OEM wireless charging pad in my Honda Ridgeline that was meant for a 2020 Pilot. It fits perfectly in the space. I am now waiting for my vehicle wiring guru (my son) to come over and get power to it. The task will be challenging, but I will let you know if I ever get power to the wireless charger, or if it is just another one of those "ornamental" accessories that serves no purpose. My phone does sit nicely in the spot without sliding around because of the rubber pad.

 

[packout]

Getting "the spot" right is tough too. I have two identical qi chargers, both behave differently with the same devices.
The trick IMO is less of getting the inductive coil in the right spot, or getting the unit powered, it's keeping the device "in the zone" e.g. modifying the tray above the glovebox to limit phone travel. That, and "end user education"

I think this is a recipe for owner frustration. Too many variables in a challenging environment.

 

[Titanrx8]

Torque news has some of the dumbest articles I've ever seen. They're just headlines waiting for a story.

As far as making a car obsolete based on a couple of wireless features, please. I worked in technology for 40 years and thankfully can't remember having to discuss obsolescence in the last 30. Every product type that has a new model come out makes the prior model obsolete at some level. Does the prior model still do it's job? I can name major academic, government and military data centers still running 40 year old technology.

As far as wireless charging and AA or CP, I'm perfectly happy using a cable. It's simple, reliable and doesn't overheat the battery shortening it's life. If you don't like clutter, buy some short cables. I've got an assortment of 6"-12" cables that I use in my cars.

 

[Idaho Oak]

I live by CarPlay in my '18 Outback. My wife has never had it, so it will be interesting if she warms up to it or not. Either way 9 times out of 10 when I pick her phone up it is at around the 20% charge level mark. With as busy as she is, for her to have a chance to plug her phone in, let alone remember to do it is rare. Being able to just drop your phone on a spot and charge a bit while driving the kids around, etc, I think will be really nice for her. With a little luck the wireless charging in the '21 won't be temperamental.