Is it worth charging a phone/tablet with a car USB charger which may make your car use more gas?

[froggyboy604]

If you want to save as much gas and money as possible, it may not be worth it to charge your phone/tablet by plugging it into a car's USB port because the car would use slightly more gas when more electronic devices like chargers, air conditioner, radio, touchscreens, and lights are powered on. Gas is usually more expensive than electricity because of gas taxes, and gas shortages and war which can make gas more expensive.

I think it is more affordable to charge your phone/tablet at home is cheaper or free if your parents or roommate pays the electricity bill. Electricity is usually free at work or school where electricity is provided to users for free because the boss and school pays for electricity. Using an external portable mobile battery charger may save you more money after a few months to years instead of using your car's USB port to charge your phone or tablet because the price of gas can be very expensive.

Always using your car to charge your phone may eventually cause your car electrical parts like battery, alternator, fuses, and alternator belt to break faster because your car electrical system needs to work a little bit harder to generate enough power to charge your phone.

 

[Salt]

Charging via a usb doesn’t have any effect on gas consumption... so yes, I do it haha

 

[morgoodie]

I don't normally charge my phone anywhere other than home anyway. Most of the schools around me don't allow phones in the classrooms so charging it there isn't really an option. I wouldn't think of charging it at work. I guess you will have to explain to me how it uses more gas to charge your phone in your car though.

 

[froggyboy604]

I don't normally charge my phone anywhere other than home anyway. Most of the schools around me don't allow phones in the classrooms so charging it there isn't really an option. I wouldn't think of charging it at work. I guess you will have to explain to me how it uses more gas to charge your phone in your car though.

A car has a electric generator called an alternator which is powered by a belt which is connected to the engine, and when a car uses more electricity when charging a phone, stereo is playing music, the alternator needs to re-charge the car battery which power electrical accessories like the radio and phone charger.

On https://jalopnik.com/dont-worry-about-the-fuel-used-to-charge-your-phone-in-1756368146 it saids using your car's USB port cuts 0.03 miles from a gallon of gas which is in your tank.

The article is based on findings from retired General Motors engineering executive Jon Bereisa, who found that:

It’s not just using a handheld phone while driving that’s a menace to society. It turns out that charging it in the car has consequences too.

That’s because phone drawing electricity from a USB port cuts 0.03 miles from each gallon of gasoline in a tank. Across the fleet of vehicles in the U.S., that would mean about 970,000 tons of extra planet-warming carbon dioxide a year...

 

[Demon_Skeith]

A car has a electric generator called an alternator which is powered by a belt which is connected to the engine, and when a car uses more electricity when charging a phone, stereo is playing music, the alternator needs to re-charge the car battery which power electrical accessories like the radio and phone charger.

On https://jalopnik.com/dont-worry-about-the-fuel-used-to-charge-your-phone-in-1756368146 it saids using your car's USB port cuts 0.03 miles from a gallon of gas which is in your tank.

huh, interesting, I always thought it just affected the battery.

 

[froggyboy604]

huh, interesting, I always thought it just affected the battery.

Charging a phone can affect the battery as well. I read blog post that says if your battery is old and failing, charging a phone can cause your battery to become dead where you need to jump start it, or replace the battery with a new battery. It may also damage your phone charger and battery.

"USB port in your vehicle probably provides less electricity than your phone really needs to charge. By plugging your phone into a low-power USB port like the one in your car, you allow the device to swallow up power at a rate that's much too fast for the port's capabilities. As a result, your phone might stall while it charges, or worse — barely charge at all."

"What's more, charging your phone while on the road could drain your car's battery, too. While the extent of the damage depends on the type of phone you have and its battery, the odds are high that your device is depleting your car's battery as it charges."

Here's why you should never charge your phone in your car

 

[Claraviolet]

Honestly....I don't think it's worth it but during the emergencies...we don't have any option.

During those times....I believe it's worth it

 

[froggyboy604]

Honestly....I don't think it's worth it but during the emergencies...we don't have any option.

During those times....I believe it's worth it

I agree during emergencies it maybe worth to charge a phone with a car especially if you need to phone for a tow truck to tow your broken car, the police, ambulance, or fire department, and you don't want your phone to not have any battery power left when you are talking to a tow truck driver and the police, ambulance and fire department staff.