You can charge a phone using a 12v to USB plug that is inserted into a 12v socket in a car. It may be too late to get one now in your area if you don't have one.

Good luck.

Thanks, Elmer.

I had one of those years ago. I'm sure it wouldn't work with the newer phones. I was hoping for something like solar which could charge 2 phones without using gasoline which will be scarce if power if off for any length of time.

I'll take a look in Home Depot tomorrow to see if there is anything we could use.

Jane

There are solar phone chargers, but my experience is that they are quite slow compared to regular charging. I keep a couple of battery packs charged up for emergency use. I'm also able to charge from the battery in my wireless bluetooth speaker. Lastly, if you're friends with a neighbor who has an electric vehicle you could charge off that.

Search for Solar Power Banks for small electrics like phones, ipads, etc. they go for $20-40 on amazon. it’s too late for that, of course. may be best buy is a better shop for that . or kmart? or costco?

they have led work lights for camping that can be recharged thru usb like this on amazon.

https://tinyurl.com/46r3tft3

best stuff you need to order, wont be in shops.

i will need to get it too ..sitting in Miami FL, watching Ian too. but here wont be bad this time ..

Here's a great emergency radio that runs on solar and can charge your phone too. Really nice looking, too.

https://ccrane.com/ccradio-solar/

"I'm sure it wouldn't work with the newer phones."

They absolutely do work with newer phones, you simply need to have the right cord.

Recent iPhones have Lightning sockets. Newest chargers take (on the charger side) USB C plugs.

The car plug has sockets for USB A. So if you have an iphone, for example, you need a cord with USB A on one end and Lightning on the other. Easily found (though not a day or two in advance of an emergency) for under $10. I have several of these, kept in each car's glove compartment and a few inside.

Or, you can get a 12V plug with a USB C socket. A bit less flexible.

Some cars have USB sockets. Mine do, they're all USB A shape. They can be used to charge a phone if not used for something else, with the right cord.

USB A (the original size, wide flat plug)

USB C - newer shape, used on newer wall warts and also used to connect to Android phones

USB A to Lightning, what's needed in a car with the adapter previously shown to charge an iPhone with Lightning socket

PS, I have 2 different radios from C Crane, and they make great quality products. One of my radios is about 30 years old and i use it every day.

I had a loaner car while my Volvo was being repaired, and it had a USBC port (as well as USBA). In addition, my new Samsung Windows laptop uses USBC for its power. And an Apple aficionado friend of mine claims that USBC is the same as Apple's Thunderbolt, although I cannot vouch for that. So it looks like C is becoming the standard!

Elmer, I actually found them today at Home Depot. I went there to get a new grill and had a nice guy helping me. I mentioned car chargers and he said they carried them. I was so excited! I haven't looked at them (will do tomorrow) to make sure my cords work with them.

We have I phones and plenty of cords. I also bought a few extra portable chargers and a charge bank (for laptop) from Amazon. Say they will deliver tomorrow.

Fingers crossed.

Thank you, Elmer, mtvhike.

Jane

1. There are solar powers battery banks for recharging devices. I have a good standard power bank that I can get 6 charges out of before I need to recharge it. I also have one that not only recharges my devices but has tiny jumper cables to jump my car battery. The AAA uses these now for jump starts.

Commented on your other thread, Jane, and want to add that those power banks seem to hold their charge for quite some time when stored. Mine was unused for approx. a year and lost nothing.

And FWIW, this was in the news a year ago...

https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-58665809

EU rules to force USB-C chargers for all phones

"...The legislative proposal, known as a Directive, will be debated by the European Parliament and national governments.

MEPs and member states may suggest amendments to the proposal. Only once the EC has agreed these amendments, will the directive be enacted.

The EC hopes that will happen in 2022 - after which member states usually have two years to enact the rules into national law, and manufacturers will have 24 months to change their charging ports...."

The best way to avoid needing to jump start a car is to be sure the battery is in good condition. A new battery is cheaper than the cost of a good jump start unit.

I had a car once where it was the alternator as battery was not that old. I also had a defective battery once that shouldn't have needed replacing when it needed the jump start. You just never know. Either way the power bank is handy for my devices and to jump start the car. I only paid $100 or less for this set up but that was a sale. Where do you get a new battery installed for that cheap? Everything here in NY not cheap.

This is off topic but mass market batteries (like Interstate) for most cars are priced in the $100-$150 range.

To be reliable, a car needs to have a properly functioning and maintained electrical and starting system. An improperly functioning alternator and a defective battery are both fixable. Using jumper cables or a power station is not a strategy for ongoing reliable transportation. A car that gets regular maintenance and has no major unaddressed problems will rarely if ever need a jump start. So you do "know"

Yes I know that but It was not my fault the car needed an alternator 3 times the first few years of owning from brand new off the lot. That was a Hyundai, never buying that brand again. The battery issue was a brand new Ford with tons of other defects so no more Ford. Fords solution after 2ys of problems was to buy the new model, they refused to admit the defects including the hinges on the back doors being faulty and that was a known issue. That darn car was in the shop more than I got to drive it. Switched to Toyota and all our problems went away. We maintain our cars properly. Currently my 2012 Toyota XLE camray hybrid is going on 140,000 and not one single issue, just regular maintenence. Get 38mph highway so love it for traveling and roomy so will get Toyota hybrid again. Regular battery in the front that charges the hybrid battery in the trunk so non electric. My husbands basic Toyota corolla is 5yrs old and should last him many years. Before that he had a toyota sienna mini van with 180,000 and no issues but decided he wanted smaller with better gas mileage for tooling around town.

If you had newer cars that were defective, you needed repairs and perhaps a better dealership to go to. Not jumper cables.

I think many Hyundai owners will disagree with you. Their quality ratings are very high. Sounds like you were unfortunate to have a lemon.

I drive a 2007 Honda Pilot 4WD. I have always done basic maintenance and have never had a repair. It’s an unbelievable suv. I’m looking for a new car smaller size but will only look at Honda or Toyota. Many years ago I drove a Toyota Camry. 130,000 miles and sold it for $500.00. Not a thing wrong with it. Hope those brands still build quality cars.

There still are lemons to be found in all makes and models, jane. My experience is that build and quality standards of today's cars are much higher and consistently so than they used to be.

I'm not sure what you consider a repair versus what's maintenance. To me, maintenance is the little stuff: timely oil changes and then inspections of brakes, tires, fan belts and hoses.

Many items I consider "repairs" are necessary and are even listed in a car's "maintenance" schedule for components that often don't last as long as engines and other car parts do. Like brakes, brake rotors, sometimes pumps, sensors, etc. Including, as per the preceding, batteries and alternators.

I agree with you. Of course things wear out over time and require replacement. I expect that. That’s normal.

Jane