Ped Power Phone Charger.

This is a great example of a design for American use.



http://www.gizmag.com/pedalpower-bicycle-charger/12451/

In bygone days, a bicycle dynamo struggled to generate enough energy to power a weak headlight for the lonely cyclist riding home on a dark night. Back then it was the only electronic application that a cyclist needed because dynamos were first invented when riders still made calls from public telephone booths or stopped to read a map for directions. But a new bicycle dynamo system called PedalPower+ can help recharge the arsenal of battery-powered accessories modern cyclists’ rely on for communications, navigation and entertainment - on the fly.

Devices like GPS units, mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3 players and mobile phones require 5V up to 600mA, DC input to recharge them. And if you’re out on the road when they go flat, generally it’s been too bad. Until now.

“Our range of products gives you a complete recharging system by generating energy while riding your bike and using that energy to recharge your devices while on your journey," said PedalPower+ managing director and the product’s inventor, Nicholas Kidd. "The excess energy that is generated by cycling can be collected and stored to charge devices at the end of the day after a long ride."

Kidd said he came up with the idea for PedalPower+ after much discussion and brainstorming.

“Originally, I had an interest in energy and saw some hand dynamo torches which looked a bit painful. Through brainstorming we came up with the bicycle idea to collect the energy, and then thought about applying it to the bicycle market, thinking about what could riders do if their phones and GPS units went flat,” he said.