02 Aug 2018

London: Boris Bike approach to phone charging launched

London-based company, ChargedUp has taken the bike sharing model and applied it to mobile phone charging. It has developed a network of vending stations where, for a small fee, users can borrow portable battery banks, use them for as long as they need and then return them to a station of their choosing.

Users can locate the nearest station to them using the ChargedUp app and then scan the QR code on the station to release a battery. Each battery can charge a phone twice over and comes with connector cables for both iPhone and Android. The App is live and 33 ChargedUp stations are currently available for use – with a further six to follow later in August. Users will receive their first two charges for free.

ChargedUp aims to be in more than 1000 venues in London by the end of 2018 and will expand beyond the capital in early 2019. The company is looking to work with Pret-A-Manger, TFL, and Wetherspoons to ensure users can borrow a battery on every high-street in the UK.

The stations are remotely monitored, allowing ChargedUp to know which batteries are in which stations and how many free slots there are. Each battery has its own ID chip so that the battery can be linked to the user. Users are charged for the use of the battery until they return it to the station.