We have all experienced that feeling of dread when we suddenly notice that the battery of our beloved smartphone is only on a few percent, and we are nowhere near a power outlet.
In this digital age, we have become reliant on our smartphones for so much. We use them to organise our lives, store all our important information, pay for our shopping, hold our memories, and even as an integral part of our jobs.
Having just a few percent of charge left on our phones, and not having a charger or access to electricity, can sometimes feel disastrous.
Almost every part of our day-to-day lives are influenced by our cellphone technology, so when we don’t have access to it, it can cause difficulties.
For example, would you know an important phone number by heart, if you needed to get in touch with someone when your phone battery was dead? Probably not.
Would you know how to read a map to get somewhere, if you didn’t have your phone to direct you? Probably not.
Would you know the best places to visit when you’re on vacation if you didn’t have your phone to tell you? Probably not.
Whether it is a good thing or a bad thing, smartphones are an integral part of modern life, and we like to know that we will have access to them at all times.
But, if our battery dies, and we have no access to a power point to plug in our charger, what can we do?
Here are some ways to charge your phone without electricity when travelling, or without access to electricity or a power point for a long period of time.
With these electricity-free ways of charging your phone, you will always be able to play games of Candy Crush, when you should be responding to work emails.
So, without any further delay, as your battery is getting lower by the minute, here are 5 of the best ways of charging your phone without electricity.
Pedal Power Phone Charger
Believe it or not, there are a number of different devices that use pedal power to charge your device. They charge your smartphone, and you get a good dose of healthy exercise, it is a win-win. Examples of these devices include:
a) Pedal Juice Bike Phone Charger
If you are someone who enjoys going on long bike rides or just loves the freedom to get around town that a bike gives, you can put all that pedal power to some extra use.
The Pedal Juice Bike Phone Charger is a clever bike-powered charging kit for your smartphone and other cell devices.
It is super simple too, you just mount it to your bike, engage the dynamo and plug in your phone. The handy kit charges your phone with your own pedal power, and the dynamo doesn’t result in any significant extra effort.
With the Pedal Juice Bike Phone Charger, you can listen to music, follow GPS directions, or keep in touch with fellow riders, as it will keep your phone charged as you ride.
b) Power Box 50 Watt Pedal Generator by K-TOR
Imagine you are in the middle of an episode of your favourite Netflix show. Suddenly you experience a power cut and your phone battery is about to die.
What will you do? Will you have to resort to reading a book by candlelight? Of course not, thanks to the Power Box 50 Watt Pedal Generator by K-Tor.
Using either your arms or legs, the Power Box 50 generates electricity as you pedal. It can be used to charge a wide range of portable electronic devices, and as it is so powerful it can be used to charge more than one device at a time.
Electronics can be charged directly from the device through pedalling, or through the external batteries if a device requires more power. The Power Box 50 is comfortable to pedal for long periods of time, so you will be able to binge watch an entire series on Netflix, even when the power is out.
This device is also perfect for charging your phone when you are on a camping vacation. The downfall of enjoying the beauty of nature is that you rarely have access to electricity when you are in the middle of nowhere.
But, with this pedal power phone charger, you can charge all your cell phones without any electricity.
Solar Power Bank
There are numerous solar chargers available, which will allow you to enjoy your sun, and your cell phone, without having to worry about the battery dying.
Standard power banks will eventually run out of charge, no matter how powerful they are.
However, with a solar power bank, even it if it runs out, you can simply place it out in the sun, and it will become charged one more.
Using the energy of the sun’s rays, you will always have a backup power source for your phone, as long as there is daylight outside.
Some of our favourite solar power banks include the Aukey Solar Power Bank, which has a storage capacity that can charge an iPhone two and a half times over; and the Bernet 24,000mAhSolar Charger, which chargers almost two times faster than the standard solar power bank, and has the capacity to charge a smartphone over 5 times, as well as being able to charge 3 devices at once.
Anti-Theft Backpack with USB Charger
If you are on the road a lot and want to have the option to charge your phone when travelling, an anti-theft backpack with incorporated USB charger is a good choice.
Not only are you not reliant on mains electricity to charge your phone, but you can also be secure in the knowledge that your valuables are always safe.
Whilst we can’t always be sure that are belongings will not be stolen, an anti-theft backpack will certainly boost the safety of your belongings, as well as your precious smartphone.
Arguably the best on the market is the Bobby Anti-Theft Backpack by XD Design. Often credited with creating the first ever anti-theft backpack, the Bobby is designed to prevent you from being one of the 400,000 victims of pickpocketing, which occur each day worldwide.
The fabric is cut proof and features illuminating safety strips. The bag has plenty of hidden zips and pockets to deter thieves, and shockproof compartments to protect your smartphone when it is charging at the integrated USB port.
This backpack is probably one of the best ways to charge your phone when travelling.
Wind Turbine Phone Charger
In the past few decades, beautiful big wind turbines have been popping up in breezy locations throughout the world.
The wind is clearly a powerful source of energy, and a few years ago, it was realised that it could be used to charge up cell phones.
Videos started popping up on YouTube, instructing you on how you could make your own small and portable wind turbine at home, which allows you to charge a number of cell devices, as long as it has a USB port.
If you aren’t very good at DIY or are just lazy, there are a number of portable wind turbines available to buy, which will allow you to charge your phone without electricity.
For example, the Waterlily Turbine Charger would make for the ideal camping companion as it can use the power of wind or water to charge any USB device.
The lightweight, compact, and durable turbine can withstand wind speeds of up to 55mph, and water current of up to 6.8mph.
Fear not, you don’t need to stand next to a stream or out in swirling wind, as the Waterlily Turbine Charger comes with extra long USB cables.
It can be used to charge a wide number of cell devices, including cameras, GPS devices, tablets, portable battery banks, and of course smartphones.
Using Fruit and Vegetables
You have probably heard somewhere that it is possible to charge your phone without electricity, by using fruit and vegetables. It sounds unbelievable, but could thee be any truth in it?
Could you actually charge your phone using fresh produce from the market?
A search of YouTube will show hundreds of videos of people claiming they are charging their phone by just forcing the plug of their charger into their favourite fruit. This is not possible and will most likely just leave your charger unusable.
However, there are experiments that show that you can actually boost the battery life of your phone with certain fruits and vegetables. However, you should be aware that these ‘experiments’ could seriously damage your phone, so should only be carried out with extreme caution and probably just for fun.
a) Charging Your Phone With A Lemon
Believe it or not, acidic or citrus fruits can be used to charge your smartphone, but it is slightly more complicated than simply forcing a lemon into the charging ports. You are going to need quite a list of parts to construct your lemon battery, they are:
– 12 lemons (at least)
And per lemon:
– 2 galvanized nails (for the zinc)
– 3 copper nails, or copper coins
– Steel nails, or non-galvanized nails from another metal.
– A USB charging cable that fits your phone and that you are willing to sacrifice.
To make a battery out of your lemon, you push a galvanized and copper nail into the fruit close together, but not touching. Then cut your USB cable open and determine which wire will be attached where, by plugging the male end into a computer and measure the voltages (more detailed instructions are available online).
Finally, connect your wires of the USB to the correct points on the lemon battery and plug into your phone. Behold you will have charge. However, for any significant effect at all, you will need at least 12 of the lemon batteries connected together and multiple nails in each one.
However, the charge you will get out of this lemon phone charger is rather minimal. Your 12 lemon battery will only give you 5 volts of charge, so it will take around 5,000 short hours to entirely charge the average smartphone. However, a single lemon will run out of ‘power’ in around 30 minutes, so you may just need over 100,000 lemons to gain that 100% battery power.
So would any other fruit or vegetable do any better?
b) Apples and Potatoes
Back in 2014, an art installation in London showed that it is possible to charge a phone without power, using 800 apples and potatoes, simply connected with copper wire and galvanized nails.
It was a large scale version of the classic school experiment where you used a potato to light up a tiny light bulb. By connecting the hundreds of fruits and vegetables to a wireless charging mat, the hand build circuit was able to charge a smartphone without mains electricity.
Whilst 800 apples and potatoes do not offer a portable way to charge a phone, it certainly does spark the imagination.
Whilst it is pretty impracticable to charge your phone with fruit and vegetables, we still think it is pretty cool that you can actually use the humble lemon to boost battery power.
It definitely gives you a new respect for fruit and vegetables…they really are good for you, in more ways that one.
End Your Reliance on Mains Electricity
If you can’t charge your phone with a power outlet, there are many ways you can keep your phone charged up so you can keep in touch with friends, family, and colleagues. You can use solar charging if you are in the sun, and you can use a generator if you are near one. There are also many public places that have outlets for you to use, if you can find one that is not being used. In the 21st century, we may never be able to end our reliance on our smartphones, but we can cut ourselves free of mains electricity….at least for long enough to charge our phones.
By utilising the power of our own bodies, the wind, the sun, and even fruits and vegetables in extreme cases, we can charge our phones without electricity.
These clever devices mean that we will never have to miss a hilarious Snapchat ever again, no matter where we are.
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If you aren’t very good at DIY or are just lazy, there are a number of portable wind turbines available to buy, which will allow you to charge your phone without electricity.
Back in 2014, an art installation in London showed that it is possible to charge a phone without power, using 800 apples and potatoes, simply connected with copper wire and galvanized nails.
