Vodafone Truck Charges 2,000 Phones at Once

The London, England-based network provider will deploy its VIP recharging truck to 11 festivals this summer in the U.K., so Vodafone customers can bring their iPhone, BlackBerry, Android and Nokia devices to the 44-ton vehicle, which is capable of charging 2,000 devices simultaneously, all free of charge.

Concertgoers typically take photos of themselves and of bands, posting them to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. They also search the Web for artist lineups and coordinate meet-ups with friends for food and shopping, all of which can kill a battery, and fairly quickly.

According to a study done by Pew Research Center, smartphone users are increasingly using their device for more than just making calls -- texting, email and Web browsing all increased from 2009 to 2010, and the biggest jump (and biggest battery killer) came from users recording videos, up 15 percent over the previous year.

The charging truck is not the first promotional charging effort from Vodafone. The network provider introduced its own line of taxis that allow passengers to charge their devices for free while traveling.

The first stop on Vodafone's summer-long charging tour begins June 9 at the Isles of Wight festival, headlined by Kings of Leon, Foo Fighters and Kaiser Chiefs. Vodafone expects to charge over 72,000 devices by the end of summer.