Jethro wrote:
... they'd pass a law mandating a common voltage, and connector for
charging mobile phones and bluetooths (etc). That way instead of
needing 8 chargers I could make do with one. Imagine the resources
you'd save if all phones shipped with no charger ... imagine the plug
sockets and extensions you'd save on.

Damn site easier (& cheaper) than passing ludicrous laws about carbon
trading and trying to get cars more efficient ....

Then in 5 yrs time lots of phones would be running on non-ideal
voltages. And this would get worse as the years passed. And it would
waste more battery cells, and voltage convertors.

Better would be a charger that could charge any common voltage of
battery., Then of course there are varying capacities, charge times
and even battery types, so such a universal charger would be
relatively expensive. Hence they're not included with mobiles.
Expensive also means it would use up more resources to mfr.

The plus side is that you only need own one. Instead of buying a
charger with every battery appliance you'd just buy one £25 charger
and it'd handle more or less everything. Appliances would cost £1 less
as they'd come without a wart.

Its a simple idea that would save people money in the end, but would
require end user teaching to get them to buy a £25 charger, and any
product that requires marketplace education to sell is unlikely to
succeed.

A more marketable option would be an optional standard that many
similar devices could share. The charger is cheap as today's, the
standard is promoted as green by the mobile phone sellers using it,
and the charger works on a range of manufacturer's phones.


But since they haven't, I don't think they are serious - therefore I
won't be either. In fact I think I'll order *another* patio
heater .....

Battery charging has nothing to do with climate change. However
efficient it gets isnt going to make the remotest difference, even if
you do believe the ecobollox. Apply some numbers and you'll quickly
see why - its like saying one biscuit would feed a starving nation..


NT