PD (Power Delivery) 1.0/2.0/3.0/3.1/3.2
What is USB Power Delivery
USB Power Delivery (USB PD) - a USB-IF standard under which a charger and a device negotiate voltage and current through a USB-C cable. The current version is PD 3.2, with a maximum power of 240W.
In most modern devices, USB PD is used with chargers equipped with a USB-C port and USB-C - USB-C cables. USB PD support does not depend on the USB data-transfer version: even a USB 2.0 cable with USB-C connectors can support USB Power Delivery.
USB PD versions: 3.0 vs 3.1 vs 3.2
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PD 2.0 - fixed voltages of 5V, 9V, 15V and 20V, power up to 100W. This version is obsolete and rarely used: it has been fully replaced by PD 3.0 and newer versions.
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PD 3.0 - added PPS: programmable voltage of 3.3-21V; power remains up to 100W.
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PD 3.1 - added the EPR range: fixed voltages of 28V, 36V and 48V, AVS 15-48V, power up to 240W; requires a 5A EPR cable with an e-marker.
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PD 3.2 - extended AVS to the SPR range: 9-15V for 27-45W sources and 9-20V for 45-100W sources; maximum power remains 240W.
Key facts about USB PD
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Power can flow in both directions.
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Allows low-power devices to negotiate for only the power they require.
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Quick Charge 4/4+ supports USB PD and uses it as the primary power-negotiation method; Quick Charge 5 is also optimized for USB PD and USB-C.
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PPS and AVS are programmable USB PD modes that allow the output voltage to be adjusted dynamically.
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PD 3.1 introduced EPR (Extended Power Range), which allows power delivery at currents up to 5A and voltages above 20V. EPR requires a cable with an e-marker chip that communicates the cable's supported power parameters to the power source. The power range up to 100W is called SPR (Standard Power Range).
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USB PD support by itself does not imply DisplayPort support. Video transmission over USB-C requires separate support for DisplayPort Alt Mode or the corresponding USB4/Thunderbolt capabilities.
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In PD 3.2, AVS was extended to the SPR range and can operate from 9V. The Peak Current feature is available for AVS and allows a power source to advertise its ability to provide increased current for short periods, for example during brief load peaks in computer systems.
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You may find an overview and tests of USB cables that support the PD standard.
Voltage levels, current, and power of the Power Delivery protocol (fixed PDOs)
➡️ If you need a charging adapter or power bank with tested load performance and confirmed support for charging protocols, check this selection of charging adapters.
➡️ If you need a USB-C cable for device charging or high-speed data transfer, take a look at the tested cables with measured internal resistance and data from the e-marker chip.