The First Solar-Powered Charger I'd Actually Use Pretty cool... I guess my main question.. when you charge your phone via the USB in the car does it take away enough juice from your battery to warrant getting something like this.
It's not a new idea. I had a a solar battery on an old Motorola Microtac back in the mid 1990's. It half worked and probably did help a little on sunny days. Thing is, if you're in your car why not just use the car to charge the phone? If you're going camping then buy a second battery and charge it before you go - it'll be cheaper than this solar charger.
Maybe.. maybe not apparently this thing is 40 bucks... Not sure how much batteries are off hand. Either way I would be curious as to how much juice is actually taken from your car to charge your phone. Or the amount so small it plays no effect?
It will use a very small amount, esp compared to the headlights or radio. My cab has a taxi meter, two way radio, despatch computer and sat nav all running 10 hours a day with no issues (yet! )
If you are going to acquire solar panels, the energy required to make them, needs to accounted for. Using a solar charger for less than 10% of the time, means that you are never going to payback the energy required to make it. Either get a solar panel for your Prius and recharge your car battery (all the time), or get solar panels for your house, and recharge your Prius battery from house current. A phone battery recharge takes about 0.00014 gallons of gas (all energy in a cordless prius comes from gas)..
