In 2025, as automotive technologies advance at a dizzying pace, Nissan makes a leap forward with its new Qi2 wireless charger. Thanks to an ingenious system of magnets, it could very well mark the end of frustrations related to smartphone charging in your car.
A Bitter Realization: The Struggles of Wireless Charging
My car is equipped with a wireless charger. This is not a detail; it’s a genuine daily challenge. Located behind two cup holders that always seem to overflow, it takes almost a degree in engineering to position my iPhone correctly. A nudge to the left, a nudge to the right, and if by miracle it starts charging, it only does so sporadically. At this point, I’m sure that most car owners with this feature use a USB-C cable more often than a wireless charging pad.
In 2025, one really wonders why wireless charging technology in cars is still so chaotic. Why can’t you just place your phone down and be assured that it will charge? The answer often lies in the fruitless attempts by manufacturers to solve this puzzle. Some offer vertical slots to hold phones, while others install giant pads under the touchscreen, but it generally remains cumbersome. However, Nissan seems to have finally found the key to the problem.
The Secret? Magnets
Nissan Qi2 Wireless Phone Charger
Nissan’s solution to improve wireless charging is disarmingly simple: magnets. The 2026 Pathfinder and 2026 Murano now come equipped with a Qi2 wireless charger featuring a raised magnetic circle. This small detail allows you to place the phone exactly where it needs to be — no fiddling or awkward maneuvers, just easy and intuitive placement.
This system is compatible with iPhone 12 and newer, Google Pixels 10 and newer, as well as any Android device with an appropriate case. The pad is located behind the gear lever — admittedly, it’s still a slightly awkward spot for a wireless charger — but it’s spacious enough to accommodate almost all modern smartphones.
‘A correct alignment is crucial for wireless charging… The magnetic disk helps ensure that the phone is properly aligned to receive optimal charging — even with the large cameras of modern phones.’
“A correct alignment is crucial for wireless charging,” says Matt Zimmerman, director of research and development at the Nissan Technical Center North America (NTCNA). “Even a few millimeters can lead to a significant drop in performance.” This magnetic disk makes all the difference.
An Innovative Cooling System for Enhanced Performance
But that’s not all! Nissan’s Qi2 charger also incorporates an improved cooling system, which is quite rare in the world of wireless car chargers. Equipped with a fan, this device keeps not only the charger cool but also your smartphone. If you’ve ever left your phone on a charging pad for too long, you know how hot it can get.
A cooler phone also means faster charging. “Previous designs adjusted power distribution, especially if the charger became too hot,” explains Zimmerman. “With this latest version, the need for fluctuation is greatly reduced.” This is therefore a significant advancement.
The Qi2 delivers up to 15 watts, compared to just 5 watts for many other wireless car chargers. This means your phone can go from 10% to 90% in just over 90 minutes. By comparison, an old 5-watt charger takes about 4 hours to fully charge.
Nissan Qi2 Wireless Charger
Like its predecessors, the Qi2 also features an LED indicator that shows you the charging status. A steady orange light means your phone is charging, while a steady green light indicates that it is fully charged. “The Qi2 charger aims to improve ergonomics,” Zimmerman specifies. “This indicator eliminates guesswork; you can check at a glance if your phone is charging.”
What Took So Long?
It’s almost surprising that it took so long for a company to integrate magnetized wireless charging into vehicles. The iPhone MagSafe, for example, was launched in 2020, but it took more than five years for this similar technology to be offered in our cars.
The first MagSafe Qi2 car charger was announced in 2023 at CES, and it took an additional two years before it was integrated into production vehicles. One might wonder why such a delay occurred. It seems that Nissan will not be the only automaker to offer this technology in the near future, but it is already a significant step forward in making our driving experience less frustrating.
