top tech for summer driving - lithium ion polymer battery
There are too many obstacles that can ruin a summer road trip and surprise many of us.
You can eliminate
Or at least ease it.
Some trouble by preparing and using some smart technology.
With the right tools, you can avoid traffic and wrong turns, pay attention to other drivers, keep the shape of the tires and recover from battery exhaustion.
Here are four of my favorite paths recently.
Start and end where rubber meets the road, which means you need to take care of your wheels.
Improper inflation of the tires will affect handling and braking and will cost you fuel.
But finding an air pump at a gas station is a hassle.
Before you hit the road, it's better to check the cold tires and fill them up at home.
The $90 AirMan air gun is a lightweight portable compressor that looks like an electric drill.
It can be set to a specific air pressure, and the lithium ion battery in the pistol grip allows your tires to be pumped.
In my test, the battery has enough power to fill in a car tire that is completely leaking, although it will overheat after about 15 minutes of use.
And a 12-
Volt car adapters and LED can help you see the valve lever in the dark.
Navigating and observing smartphones can be the preferred weapon for today's drivers, but dedicated portable navigation devices still work, with at least one model with new tricks.
Magellan $230 road companion 6230-
LM is the first to include built-in-
Record your journey in dashcam.
If you are unfortunately involved in an accident, it automatically stores the accident, thanks to a vibration sensor, which also records serious potholes, and I learned the hard way.
It will store about 40 minutes of 720 p video on the included 4 GB microSD card.
The navigation part of the equipment has all the necessities: 5-
Inch touch screen, free map update for life (Canada, U. S.
And Puerto Rico), 3-
D Lane directions and voice instructions that use landmarks to make it easier to identify the next round.
Especially convenient is the speed limit warning, parking lot location and warning about red lights and high speed cameras.
The only downside is
While keeping the driver visible to the navigation screen, it can be tricky to locate the device to get the ideal camera view.
Little saviorNo someone wants to approach a stranger in a dark parking lot and ask if they have a jump.
At least I don't want.
Fortunately, there is a way to give the car a little boost by using a portable battery charger.
The $100 JUNOJUMPR is a lithium polymer battery of the same size as a smartphone.
It can not only charge the phone (
About an hour and a half later)
Or a tablet, but in a pinch, it can start the car with a set of short jumper cables that come with it.
However, it will not revive a completely dead battery, nor will it be recommended for large vehicles with more than 3 engines. 5 liters.
However, due to its convenient construction
LED flashlight, 12-
Volt adapters and the ability to charge a variety of devices from a USB port, JUNOJUMPR should be welcomed in many glove compartments.
Wawaze's app may be an app that no driver should have.
Traffic and navigation plans are based on the idea that each driver has his own speed and location.
By coordinating the location of each user (
From their smartphones)
Waze created a Traffic Flow Map and user reports on accidents, police activities and buildings.
In recent years, Waze has accumulated enough users.
It won't say exactly how much, but there are millions
Make it really useful.
It has led me to crowded and built countless times, usually more than in-
Dash system with live traffic report.
The free software runs on Apple, Android and Windows smartphones.
Yes, the cute icon (
Can see the location of other drivers)
These days seem a bit immature and this program will follow you no matter where you drive.
But other shows follow you. -
And they can't get you out of traffic.