A lot of people have a car charger for their smartphone, and it’s easy to understand why. A smartphone can be the link between you and your business. But did you know that you have a lot of other, more obscure (and more interesting) choices for phone chargers?

The truth of the matter is, whether you need it or not, technology has been producing some absolutely fantastic, and strange, things. Among them are many different types of chargers that run off of kinetic energy, hydrogen, bike pedaling, and more. Here are some of the more interesting ways to power your mobile technology.

PowerPot: Smartphone Power, Thermoelectric Style
Have you ever gone on a camping trip and needed to use your smartphone? The PowerPot can be used to heat food or water, all while charging your smartphone. The key is using thermoelectrics, which take advantage of the difference in power between the heat on the outside of the pot, and the substance on the inside. This contraption is capable of outputting five watts within a few seconds. Sure, it might cost you an arm and a leg, but if you’re stuck in the middle of the woods and need to get a hold of your office, it’s sure better than nothing.

EverPurse Clutch: One Powerful Wallet
The Everpurse Clutch takes advantage of everyone’s need for their wallet. Now, it can charge your other necessary possession, your smartphone, while on the go. It has a specific compartment for your smartphone, which it charges with a 4,200 mAh battery. It also has plenty of room for your credit cards and even your car keys.

Tigra BikeCharge: Integrating Exercise and Smartphone-charging
Biking is a great way to exercise, and if you do a lot of it, this smartphone charger is just for you. This device uses kinetic energy from your bicycle to charge your phone. It can be attached to your bike’s wheel, and converts pedals to power. Once you get up to speed, about three miles per hour, it can charge most smartphones in around two or three hours. The device also works as a light if you enjoy riding in the dark.

Smartphone Charging Emergency Lantern
For an impromptu camping trip, the Hammacher Schlemmer emergency lantern is a great choice for a phone charger. The lantern can operate on low power for up to 48 hours, six hours on high power, and has lights that can act as emergency beacons in the event disaster strikes. All you need to do is use the hand crank on the top of the lantern to produce energy. One minute of cranking allows the lantern to light up for ten hours. At full charge, the lantern can provide your smartphone (depending on brand) with up to two full charges.

Horizon MiniPak: Hydrogen-Fueled Phone Charging
We’re not quite sure we can harness nuclear fission to power smartphones yet (although we’re sure that someone is working on it), but Horizon has figured out a way to use Hydrogen to power them. The Horizon MiniPak works by using a fuel cell which contains a metal alloy to absorb hydrogen from water. It then generates power by recombining the hydrogen with oxygen from the air. It might not be the most conventional method of phone charging, but science enthusiasts might find the chemical reactions fascinating enough to give it a whirl.

Will you use these new methods of charging for your phone? Maybe, or maybe not. But either way, the point stands that these new technologies can teach the technology industry a lesson in innovation. All of these ideas are fairly new and original. Innovation provides your company with a niche that you can use in the increasingly-competitive market.

Which one of these five new phone chargers is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!