The new USB PD Extended Power Range standard will supply up to 240W of power
The current USB Power Delivery specification supports up to 100W of power being delivered. That is enough for phones (well, most phones) and laptops that use 15W processors, but not enough for more power-hungry devices such as a gaming laptop.
The USB Implementers Forum has designed a new specification called USB PD Extended Power Range (EPR) that can deliver up to 240W. This will be done at 50V and 5A (with some safety margin), which is a lot of power – to ensure everything runs smoothly, only Electronically Marked cables will be supported (these include a little chip that can tell the host device what features are supported by the cable).
What you need to know
USB-C cables could support up to 240W charging at some point in the future.
The USB Implementers Forum outlines the new spec, known as Extended Power Range.
Powerful laptops can draw more power than the current USB-C spec, making them need proprietary chargers.
While many modern laptops have USB-C ports that support charging, more powerful laptops like the Surface Book 3 and the best gaming laptops need proprietary chargers. These powerful laptops draw more power than the current USB-C standard supports, making proprietary hardware necessary. That could all change soon, thanks to a new specification from the USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF).