‘Boris Bikes’ of phone charging arrives in London

A new company promising to be the ‘Boris Bikes’ of phone chargers is launching in London this month.

ChargedUp has developed a network of vending stations where users can borrow portable battery banks, for a small fee, 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.

ChargedUp said its entire network runs completely on green energy, made possible through a partnership with Gloucestershire-based energy firm Ecotricity.

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.”

ChargedUp’s battery rental stations are now live at more than 30 locations across the capital.

The company is aiming to be in more than 1,000 London venues by the end of the year, with plans to expand beyond the capital in 2019.