Phone charging services are on the rise, fueled by our obsessive need to keep our batteries full
What could be worse than heading out for the night, then realising your phone battery is down to a 10 percent charge?
A new crop of pay-as-you-use powerbank sharing companies have heeded the call of the dead battery in the wild.
Over 11 "power-sharing" companies in China have been funded in the past 40 days, according to Beijing News. Their offerings range from tabletop-based chargers, to powerbanks that you can take for a time, and return to a central station.
One of the companies, Xiaodian, raised about $50 million in series B funding just yesterday.
The company's app allows users to search for its power outlets available in 1,000 locations across Beijing, China's capital.
Users scan a QR code on WeChat, the country's largest messenger app, and can charge their phones for just 1 yuan ($0.14) per hour. The funds get deducted from the user's WeChat or Alipay digital wallets.
Another service called Ankerbox, by Shenzhen-based Anker, rents out portable chargers.
The company has launched a trial service in Seattle, charging $1.99 per day for a powerbank you can take with you.
In an interview with Shanghai-based news outlet Interface, venture capitalist Chen Hongliang said that consumer habits have changed with the rise of the sharing economy.
"We use bike-sharing services because it provides for some convenience. People used to buy products, now they want a service," Chen said. His Vision+ Capital pumped 100 million yuan ($14 million) in Xiaodian's April series A funding round.
"People used to think that you had to buy a bicycle if you needed one; now their views have changed. Today, people think that they need to bring a portable charger out with them. That might change with power bank-sharing."
I am an intern with Mashable Asia, focusing on viral news, lifestyle news and feature news in the region.
