Question. Will my Prius C charge my iPhone/iPad While my car is off? I remember reading somewhere about the car turning everything off after 20 minutes. And if it does stay on after 20 minutes, Will I be at risk of draining my battery? I'm planning a trip to Yosemite at the end of the month and I would love to charge my devices at night while I sleep. Thanks for your input!
My C2 only charges when my key is in the ignition (same thing for the radio working). Even in Yosemite I wouldn't leave the key in overnight, especially since the USB port is visible through the windows. There are some earlier posts about how to use the car, turned on, to generate electricity, with the gas motor kicking in to recharge battery when needed. Hope you have a wonderful trip and post photos!
The 12v outlets are not powered once the car is turned off. The great thing about a hybrid is you can leave the car on for hours and use very little fuel as long as your turn off all accessories. If you are parked in your camping spot simply leave your car powered on while your units recharge then turn it off before bed. If you will be stationary for any length of time you can purchase foldable solar panels to charge small devices.
The USB port does not provide enough voltage to charge an iPad. You'll have to get an inverter and plug it into your 12-volt socket.
100% incorrect The USB port does not provide enough AMPERAGE to charge the iPad. Get a 2.1 amp cigarette lighter USB plug (Scosche makes one you can get on Amazon for $10) and call it a day.
Since the 12 volt outlets aren't hot when the car's off (don't know about USB), I wouldn't bother. I would just get some spare USB battery packs and charge them up beforehand/while driving. Then, use them to charge your devices. I have two of APC Mobile Power Pack, 10Wh, but they're discontinued. There are similar products like PowerPort , portable batteries and the Zaggsparq products at Accessories | iPad 2, iPad, iPhone 4 | ZAGGfolio, iFrogz, ZAGGmate, ZAGGsparq 2.0, ZAGGfoam, ZAGGsmartbuds | ZAGG, for instance. There are many more. Turn your phone off or put it in airplane mode while you're sleeping to conserve battery, if needed.
