GM is dropping wireless charging in US SUVs due to chip shortages

Car manufacturer General Motors has decided that certain SUV models intended for the American market will no longer receive support for wireless charging of smartphones. This is the result of the global chip shortages.

According to GM Authority Blog applies to certain models of the Chevy Tahoe, Chevy Suburban, and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL produced on or after July 12. The car manufacturer says to The Verge that certain 2022 Buick Enclaves, Chevy Traverses, and Cadillac XT5 and XT6 cars manufactured after August 2 will also be without wireless charging. With the cancellation of this support, General Motors hopes to be able to continue production of these vehicles.

In a response, GM says that it is doing everything it can to counteract the short-term effects of the chip shortages, but that this situation is still unstable worldwide. Customers receive a $75 compensation from GM and previously there was a $50 compensation for missing HD radio in some models. For the same reasons, GM also removed the start-stop system from V8 versions of Sierra and Silverado cars from 2021 and 2022. Other car manufacturers also have these kinds of problems. For example, due to chip shortages, Renault decided to place a smaller display behind the wheel of its Arkana SUV.

GM previously shut down three car factories due to chip shortages and Ford, for example, temporarily closed a number of production lines of the F-150. At the beginning of this year, several car manufacturers already expressed fear that they could produce fewer cars due to the problem. It is still unclear when the situation will return to normal. Chip maker TSMC said in April that the shortages are likely to continue until 2022, although carmakers should experience fewer shortages from the third quarter.