Eco-Friendly Cell Phone Charger?
Categories: Advertising, Branding, Sustainability
Is it really possible to have an eco-friendly cell phone charger? A group of students at AiPD think so.
I have been tasked, along with 3 other students, to develop a concept for a sustainable product or service and then brand it from the ground up.
What comes to mind when you think of a product that’s been accepted as a universal commodity, yet lacks the use of renewable energy? Cell phones.
These days, I don’t know of many people who don’t own a cell phone. It’s an integrated part of our daily life and we take it everywhere go. In fact, we often feel lost or “naked” if we forget it at home.
Worse yet, imagine you’re traveling and your charger is packed away in your suitcase, you have less than a bar left on your phone, a two hour layover at the airport and at least 5 phone calls to make between now and the time your plane takes off. It’s a challenge just to find an electrical outlet to plug your laptop into, much less a space to charge your cellphone (one that includes the charger itself!).
There is an answer - the ChargeBox. It’s a machine that allows you to recharge devices such as cellphones, iPods and PDA’s inside a secured locker. Each ChargeBox has six lockers and each locker has the capability to charge different types of hand held devices. Most can be fully charged in around 35 minutes, however iPods for example can take almost 2 hours to fully charge. Since its inception back in 1995, the ChargeBox has grown to expand it’s locations to include Iceland, France, South Africa & Turkey and the UK.
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What if the ChargeBox used renewable energy to recharge these mobile devices? Efficient and eco-friendly!
We’re in the early stages of market and product research. Here’s a short list of KPI’s we’ve identified:
- potential sources of renewable energy
- best US target market - top 10 US airports
- additional “add on’s” besides charging (ie: download MP3’s, ringtones, games, etc.)
- potential partners
Further research:
Is the use of renewable energy an important factor when choosing to use or not use an electrical device?
How much would you be willing to pay to charge your hand held device?
- $0.02/minute
- $0.05/minute
- $0.10/minute
Would you be interested in “adding on” additional services? If so, which ones?
- MP3’s
- ring tones
- pictures/screen savers
- games
I’d love to hear any thoughts, ideas or feedback. I’ll be posting details of our project as it unfolds over the next three weeks.
I like the idea of the ChargeBox, but I’m just not sure how popular it would get. The last time I was in an airport, I just saw people hooking up their cell phone / iPod / laptop chargers to any electrical outlet and charged that way. Would people pay to charge their electronic devices if they could just whip out their charger and charge it for free?
Then again, some people (naturally) don’t pack their charging equipment with them. If so, and if they really needed to charge, I do believe they might use the ChargeBox.
Though, another consideration might be - where would the placement be? If it’s at an airport or something, do people have enough time for their electronic device to charge for 40 mins? I like to get to the airport early so I have pleeenty of time… though I know I’m probably in the minority and I actually like hanging out at the airport.
Placement is key. You need to have these ChargeBoxes placed at locations where an individual would spend 15 - 45 mins. Coffee shops? Eh, I’m not so sure they would appreciate a large horizontal box in a coffee shop. Post offices? No… I think the location you’ve already ID’ed (airports) is probably the best location.
I’m not so sure about those add-ons you listed - how would they work? Games - does that mean they have to hang around the actual charge box? Or do you mean they could purchase games for their equipment through a terminal of some sort?
Anyway, some input…
Good points.
Yes, there’s outlets available at the airport, but on a very limited basis. And if you’re lucky enough to find one, you have to stay with your phone while it’s plugged in. The ChargeBox offers a secure locker, with a key, so you can leave your device while it’s charging.
The ChargeBox is meant to provide a “quick charge”, just enough to get you by. It’s not meant to get you from half a bar to a full charge. Taking an educated guess, I’d say a 15-20 minute re-charge would be sufficient.
As for the time factor, most people have anywhere from 30 min to 2 hrs to kill while waiting for their flight - just enough time to get a quick charge.
Yes, placement is key and I think large airports would be a good test market.
As for add on services, I propose having a touch screen menu on the outside of each locker door that would allow the user to specify how much charge time they’d like to purchase, as well as any add on’s. Once they confirm their order, they can pay by credit card, place their device inside the locker, take the key and they’re on their way!
Thanks for the feedback!
Renewable energy is definitely a deciding factor - when it’s available. Would the charge boxes only be at airports? What about at universities or malls? Sounds good!
I have seen charging stations at airports before, but never used them. Guess I have been lucky to remember my chargers, or was able to borrow one. I don’t think the renewable energy angle would buy much. People who need the charge will need it no matter what the source of energy.
I can see this working if you think Apple iPhone and AT&T. How about the airport gets a percentage and in turn all walled plugs get capped? I think doing this would be in the best interest of all. I can imagine if you take the number of airports plus the amount of energy saved there could be no argument to the benefit of this project. It really is the little changes that inevitably add up to the big ones. This idea is brilliant and if executed correctly could make a difference
Thanks for the feedback & suggestions!
China - Our plan would be to introduce the charging machines at the top 10 US airports, evaluate the traffic & performance and then integrate them into remaining US airports. Additional markets, such as universities or malls would be a viable option as well. Possibly movie theaters?
Tim - If you don’t think the renewal energy is a valuable USP, do you think the add on services, such as MP3’s, games or screen savers would be of interest to customers?
Jody - Funny that you mention Apple & AT&T. We’d like to align ourselves with these companies (and others) to do cross-promotions for add on services.
I like your idea of capping off outlets. This does a number of things.
1 - It brings awareness to renewable energy.
2 - If a percentage goes to the airport, it could potentially generate enough funds to implement more renewable energy sources.
3- Currently, airports have a shortage of electrical outlets available to the public, plus most people don’t carry their charging cord with them (if they do, it’s probably packed away in their suitcase). Providing charging machines eliminates both of these issues and at the same time promotes a more sustainable environment.