# USB port in a car ? Why ? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 11, 2009, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990 "2009-05-11T02:33:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Ersatz\_Shmoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@Ersatz\_Shmoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ersatz_Shmoe)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990/21 "2009-05-11T16:35:56Z")
My car is pre-USB, but my stereo uses the USB + the phono plug to control my iPod from the dash. As noted above, I can also just plug a thumbdrive in there without using the phono plug/iPod sync cable. ---
**Author:** ![Casserole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b77776/32.png) [@Casserole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casserole)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990/22 "2009-05-11T16:57:11Z")
I maintain that I came up with the idea of installing USB ports in cars to play mp3s long before there was any implementation of it. Alas, being 12 at the time, I didn’t quite have the mental capacity to make it a reality. Nevertheless… ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990/23 "2009-05-11T18:39:51Z")
> [@Casserole](#): > > I maintain that I came up with the idea of installing USB ports in cars to play mp3s long before there was any implementation of it. When I was 12, they were starting to put 8-track players and FM radios in cars. Way cool. FM radio sounded sooooo good, but unfortunately all the FM stations played “easy listening” music. Lots and lots of people had the idea of putting USB ports in cars before it was a reality - even the designers themselves did. But the auto industry has really stringent quality standards, and devices have to prove they can survive temperature extremes, so adoption of nifty new technologies in cars is always a little slow. Even if the auto industry companies were managed well, which they’re not. ---
**Author:** ![Sapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Sapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sapo)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2009, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990/24 "2009-05-11T20:16:52Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > I believe it was the Chinese government who first mandated that all mobile phones and such devices should charge off USB and with China being the biggest market this has become a de-facto standard. > > I just flew with Air Canada and the seat had a USB connector which I assume is only for powering and charging devices. It also had 110V power for laptops. It seems the 15V inflight connector system never really became widespread. Considering how many cheapo chargers for all kinds of devices are made in China, the government would be effectively mandating the end of a market for many of its taxpayers. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990/25 "2009-05-12T02:55:49Z")
Not necessarily - although my Blackberry will accept the charger from my wife’s Motorola and my Magellan GPS unit, the Magellan will only charge off its own charger, not the Blackberry’s nor the Motorola’s, and the Motorola phone only works with its charger, not the Blackberry’s nor the Magellan’s. ETA: they all have the mini-USB connector, and it fits, the Magellan and Motorola simply refuse to charge from another brand charger. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 8:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990/26 "2009-05-12T08:51:18Z")
> [@MrFloppy](#): > > Mrs. Floppy’s car has an 80Gb hard drive. What sort of car is Mrs. Floppy’s vehicle? I could be in the market for a car that is tech forward. ---
**Author:** ![Casserole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b77776/32.png) [@Casserole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casserole)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990/27 "2009-05-12T17:54:02Z")
> [@Sapo](#): > > Considering how many cheapo chargers for all kinds of devices are made in China, the government would be effectively mandating the end of a market for many of its taxpayers. Ha! How interesting, that is. With such a huge market in China, all the government has to do is decree that such-and-such is now _the_ standard, and let other countries deal with the R&D cost. Then they can manufacture their products according to EU/US specs, heh heh. If I were a Chinese government official, I’d decree that DVDs come in a container like second-generation floppy disks. Nothing’s more satisfying than the “ka-chunk-clik” of a floppy sliding into the bay 🙂 I’d also mandate that the eject button on said drive would shoot disks several feet out, so you could use your laptops in office war games. Take that, Bob the Mail man! _clik-flflflfl_ ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990/28 "2009-05-12T18:29:08Z")
> [@Casserole](#): > > Nothing’s more satisfying than the “ka-chunk-clik” of a floppy sliding into the bay 🙂 I hate to admit this but I loved the ka-chunk-clik of 3.5 disks. It was so much more satisfying than the 5 1/4 disk where you have to manually lock it in. I still have a 3.5" external USB for secured files that I keep off the hard drive. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990/29 "2009-05-12T18:34:29Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > What sort of car is Mrs. Floppy’s vehicle? I could be in the market for a car that is tech forward. Probably a [BMW](http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-13746_7-10003895-48.html) ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990/30 "2009-05-12T20:13:41Z")
I think there is also a “preceived value” benefit. It can’t cost much to put in a USB port, so let’s just say it’s $1.00. So they car companies put one in and pay $1.00 and raise the cost of the car $10.00 for that gadget and people preceive it as a value so they gladly pay it. However if the cost of a car goes up $9.00 for no reason, people balk at it. This way you can effectively raise the price of a car and people will THINK they are getting a deal. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2009, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990/31 "2009-05-12T21:01:55Z")
> [@scifisam2009](#): > > … most of the other [USB products](http://www.find-me-a-gift.co.uk/search_results.asp?keywords=USB+CUP&category=-1&pricerange=0&Image1.x=39&Image1.y=7&engine=adwords!2080&keyword=(usb+cup+warmer)&match_type=&gclid=CIC54cKgs5oCFYR_3godnDvwbQ) wouldn’t really be safe to use in a car. Now wait - I think [USB heated slippers](http://www.find-me-a-gift.co.uk/usb-heated-slippers.html) might be just the thing for a short winter’s drive. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/usb-port-in-a-car-why/495990.md?page=1)