Mobile phone batteries have improved notably in the last couple of years, however it still doesn’t mean that many can contend with a day of heavy usage without giving up the ghost. 

Leaps and bounds in terms of processors, screen and connectivity as regards battery efficiency now mean that our devices last longer than ever before. However, there are times when even the most powerful battery needs a mid-evening boost to last the remainder of the day.

Fortunately, there are plenty of boffins out there working on ingenious solutions to the battery issues we face every day. In turn, we’ve seen some pretty amazing devices come to the fore in the last year or so and we’re going to look at some of the awesome, crazy and cool ones on offer.

Plan V

Yes, it may sound like the title for a very bad tribute act or even the fourth last strategy in an emergency - however it’s not.  Plan V is an innovative charger that utilises the power of a typical 9V battery for a quick boost of power. 

The little plastic Plan V adaptor is one half USB and one half battery connector and provides around 4 hours more phone usage. Simply, attach the device to your phone and a 9V battery to Plan V and then just juice up.

Body Heat Battery

Even crazier are the experiments from Dr Gang Chen at MIT in the US. Chen has created a prototype for a battery that doesn’t even need to be plugged in. 

The self-powered device is able to generate power from low grade sources of heat, such as the human body. The device, which uses inexpensive materials harvest energy from the environment and converts it into electricity. Hypothetically this would mean that the heat generated by your body when your phone is in your pocket, could potentially charge the battery. The device could potentially deliver electricity at around 12% efficiency at temperatures between 20 and 60 degrees

Of course, the device is still in development, meaning it may take some time before we see it on the market. However, as a concept, it’s a quite exciting one. 

30 Second Charger

Imagine being able to charge your battery in 30 seconds – now that would be amazing. Well, it seems that a start up in Israel has developed a technique that allows a battery to be charged in just that time period. 

Storedot has revealed a nanotechnology based device that can charge a laptop, phone or tablet battery in under a minute rather than a few hours. The company showcased the device last year at Microsoft’s Think Next conference in Tel Aviv, demonstrating the super-fast charging tech on a Samsung Galaxy 4. 

Battery charging is changing for the better and we hope to soon see an end to the mid-afternoon dead battery, meaning you will never have to be apart from your phone. Either way make sure it’s insured with us from only £1.49 per month, get a quote today. 

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.

When you hire a car at home, on holiday, or for business, you expect to be given a well-maintained vehicle that has been well cared for. But even when cars are regularly serviced and checked, the worst can happen, and a breakdown can strike.

Breakdowns in hired vehicles are especially inconvenient because few of us would know how to fix the cars we hire. We also tend to hire vehicles for special journeys or events, so long delays or unexpected costs are never welcome.

Breakdown Cover Varies

When you buy car hire excess insurance, you benefit from knowing that any damage is covered by your policy.

In addition, you may be offered breakdown cover. But it’s important to understand the difference between traditional breakdown cover and car hire breakdown cover.

In short, car hire excess insurance essentially pays for any breakdown cover you use via your hire company. So if you break down, you don’t use your excess insurance to recover the vehicle - you use your regular car hire company’s breakdown procedure, and then claim any costs back from the excess insurance provider.

This gives you the peace of mind of dealing with the car hire company direct for the purposes of getting the car recovered and fixed. If you’re given a bill, you’d then pass that on to your excess insurance provider, and they’d process it as a claim.

Important Notes

With any car hire transaction or car hire excess insurance policy, the fine print is important. Check that your hire company provides adequate breakdown cover, and then check that your car hire excess insurer will meet the costs if you need to claim.

Of course, you need to ensure that your car hire excess policy is valid for the duration and location of your car hire rental. If you’re due to hire more than one car a year, you’ll generally find that an annual policy is the most cost-effective solution. It also means you’re covered for any car hire transaction without the need to keep buying new policies to cover the excess.

Hiring cars outside your home country may mean you need a different car hire excess policy. Again, for ease of administration, we recommend that you buy an annual policy covering all the locations you’re going to visit. A Europe-wide policy is a sensible choice if you hire cars at home and abroad.

Be sure to check that your car hire company provides adequate breakdown cover for the locations you plan to drive in.

Final Thoughts

Car hire excess insurance offers valuable protection against unexpected costs when hiring a car. Not only does it ensure that you aren’t exposed to massive costs for damage, it could also help to cover any breakdown costs that are passed on to you by your car hire company. For a small one-off fee, or a modest annual payment, you could obtain car hire excess cover for every trip.

For more information about our policies,speak to a friendly advisor at Row.co.uk today.

*The information in this blog is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. Please seek a professional for expert advice as we can not be held responsible for any damages or negative consequences upon following this information.