ICP Solar Battery Saver

...that makes the product is ICP Global technologies who would appear to have addresses in US, Canada and Hong Kong. The units are assembled in China with European Solar Plates. ICP Global have a website (www.icpglobal.com) and an email (customers@icpglobal.com). There’s an interesting range of solar-powered devices of which this is only one. Via their website, I have learned that there are now 2 suppliers of the battery booster in the UK: Maplin stores ...
...You can find the location and telephone of the nearest Maplin store by following the links from this site.

I have also discovered that there are now 2 versions of the Solar Battery Saver. The one I have has a power of 1 Watt whereas there is a new version with a power of 1.8 Watts. They also would appear to have lengthened the lead from the description given. Both stockists would appear to be running promotions on the products at present ... more

As a student with an ageing car, my mileage was irregular and the car was often parked outside, so keeping the battery charged was a continual challenge. The car could be guaranteed not to start at the most awkward of moments. A trickle-charger was an essential piece of equipment but even it was of no use if I couldn’t find anywhere to plug it in within reach of where I could park the car safely. Removing the battery was a cumbersome alternative. I became adept at using jump leads too but there were times I wished I didn’t have to. I wish someone had thought of the solar-powered battery saver at that time.

Nowadays my battery is more likely to run down through all the so-called “key-off electronic drains” (radios, clocks, alarms and use of other devices that work through the cigar lighter), or through doing too many short journeys. I still park my car outside so I am glad of the extra reassurance I will have this coming winter from my solar-powered battery saver. At about 16 inches long, 4 inches wide and a depth of less than an inch, it sits easily on top of my dashboard, its solar panel absorbing energy when in daylight and trickle-charging the battery as it does so through the cigar lighter. I can leave it plugged into the cigar lighter at all times as it will neither overcharge nor drain the battery.

If your car does not have a cigar lighter all is not lost. The battery saver comes with instructions for directly connecting to the battery, although, depending on the location of your battery, the approx 3 foot lead gives limited options for where you place your solar panel. I found it a little strange that the wiring is coloured white for positive and black for negative as I would have expected to see red and black. One other ambiguity in the literature is that it says the casing is “weatherproof” but then also states that the unit has NOT been designed for outside use. I certainly feel happier having mine inside the car.

As to its availability, I purchased mine from an Innovations Catalogue at a price of £24.99. I ordered by phone and it came within a few days. It came very simply packed with a 90 day warranty. I thought about writing this article on the day before news of the innovations company demise, so I have since researched alternative suppliers although I should stress that I have no experience of dealing with them.

The Company that makes the product is ICP Global technologies who would appear to have addresses in US, Canada and Hong Kong. The units are assembled in China with European Solar Plates. ICP Global have a website (www.icpglobal.com) and an email (customers@icpglobal.com). There’s an interesting range of solar-powered devices of which this is only one. Via their website, I have learned that there are now 2 suppliers of the battery booster in the UK: Maplin stores (both shop and online options) and NorthernToolUK.com (an online option). You can find the location and telephone of the nearest Maplin store by following the links from this site.

I have also discovered that there are now 2 versions of the Solar Battery Saver. The one I have has a power of 1 Watt whereas there is a new version with a power of 1.8 Watts. They also would appear to have lengthened the lead from the description given. Both stockists would appear to be running promotions on the products at present – so if you want one just like mine, there is a special promotion from Maplin offering it at £14.99 (actually I’m quite tempted to buy another at that price as a present for someone); Northern Tool UK.com would appear to have cut the price of the newer 1.8W version to £23.49 inc. VAT.

As a student I would probably still have had to ask Santa Claus, but it would have been of extra added interest to know that by keeping the battery maintained in a high charged state, I would have been extending its life too. And just in case you worry about the weather, there’s a little light that glows to reassure you that it’s receiving power, and even on a wet, miserable afternoon like today, when the sun is nowhere to be seen, it seems to be light enough to power the device. Flat batteries should soon become a thing of the past.

 

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