Power Mat Cordless Chargers in GM Vehicles

The General Motors Company has decided to team up with Powermat, a wireless startup company that specializes in mat-based charging devices for all of one's electronic devices, such as cell phones and MP3 players. The powermat will be installed first in the Chevy Volt. According to insiders at GM, it will be in the Volt within 18 months; however, they plan on putting in into all of their vehicles eventually. This venture, according to GM, is going to be an investment of $5 million; however the CEO of Powermat declined to comment on the size of the investment, calling it instead "symbolic." Apparently, the eventual goal of this partnership is to create a powermat that is embedded within the vehicle that will allow drivers to charge their car anywhere that there is Wi-Fi access. Currently, places such as Burger King or the local coffee shop offer Wi-Fi for free, but how long will it take, once they realize people are charging their vehicles off their service, before they begin charging an outrageous amount to access their Wi-Fi service? And truly, how many people will purchase a car simply because it has a glorified phone charger included? Once the company implements the wireless charging capabilities, that may up the sales, but I don't foresee an onslaught of buyers yet.