There are few things more frustrating than a flat phone battery while you’re out and about, but it could be a thing of the past with a new network of portable charging stations billing itself as the ‘Boris Bikes’ of mobile battery chargers.
London company ChargedUp has launched a network of vending stations around the Capital where users can rent portable battery chargers and return them later to a station of their choosing.
Customers locate a station using the firm’s app and scan a QR code to release a battery, each of which can charge a phone twice over and comes with connector cables for iPhone and Android. The entire network runs on green energy through a partnership with Gloucestershire-based energy firm Ecotricity.
ChargedUp has already positioned more than 30 stations in bars, cafes and coworking spaces around the Capital, with a high concentration on the northern edge of the City around Old Street, as well as around Farringdon and Brick Lane.
The company aims to be in more than 1000 venues in London by the end of the year and is looking to partner with large chains like Pret and Wetherspoons to facilitation national expansion to every high street in the UK.
Founder and CEO Hugo Tilmouth said: “Battery life has not managed to keep up with the demands we put on our smartphones, and running low part-way through the day is now a common, and very frustrating, occurrence.
“It was certainly driving us mad! Which is why we developed ChargedUp as an easy, cost-effective way to charge your phone on the go. From as little as 50p, you’ll always be fully charged.”
He continued: “We also wanted to ensure that we had protecting the environment at the heart of the business, which is why all the batteries are charged using green energy from Ecotricity, whilst also utilising the sharing economy to reduce lithium battery consumption.”
The full list of ChargedUp locations here:
The Elephants Head, Camden High Street, London, UK
PaStation, 76 Tottenham Court Road, London, UK
CycleLab & Juicebar, Pitfield Street, London, UK
Old Red Cow, Long Lane, London, UK
Dose Coffee, Long Lane, London, UK
The Redchurch, 107 Redchurch Street, London, UK
Cirque, 323 Old Street, London, UK
Groucho Club, Dean Street, London, UK
The Five Bells, New Cross Road, London, UK
Oxo Tower Bar, Barge House Street, London, UK
Mother Kelly’s, 251 Paradise Row, London E2 9LE, UK
Loves Company, City Road, London, UK
Hoxton 7, 7 Hoxton Street, London, UK
Swingers City, Brown’s Buildings, London, UK
Swingers West End, John Prince’s Street, London, UK
The Magic Roundabout, 16 St Agnes Well, London, UK
Look Mum No Hands, 49 Old St, London EC1V 9HX, UK
Floripa, Great Eastern Street, London, UK
The Marksman, 254 Hackney Rd, London E2 7SJ, UK
Bar Kick, Shoreditch High Street, London, UK
The Virgin Queen, Goldsmiths Row, London, UK
Backyard Comedy Club, 231 Cambridge Heath Rd, London E2 0EL, UK
7 Grams Coffee, 194 Shoreditch High Street, London, UK
WeWork Old St., Corsham Street, London, UK
The Crown Tavern, Clerkenwell Green, London, UK
Pitfield, 31-35 Pitfield Street, London, UK
Sink Pong, 2-4 Paul Street, London, UK
Dolcezza Bonhill, Bonhill Street, London, UK
Oxo Tower Restaurant, Barge House Street, London, UK
Café 1001, Brick Lane, London, UK
Big Chill Kings Cross, Pentonville Road, London, UK
Big Chill Brick Lane, Dray Walk, London, UK
WeWork London Fields, Mare Street, London, UK
