Bicycles, scooters and cars are now not the only items for public sharing. Beri Zaryad (“Take charge”) company is now renting device chargers.
Now any user whose smart phone or tablet battery is low in the middle of the working day can pay 100 rubles to borrow a power bank. For half the money, customers can rent a charger for just one hour. Borrowing a power bank is quite easy after downloading a mobile app, signing up and entering your credit card data. After the payment, power banks become available at the nearest service station and can be returned at any convenient charging point. Beri Zaryad offers power banks compatible with any phone. Solution is powered by Chinese manufacturer Laidian.
Right now, the service is available in Moscow and the Moscow Region, with 50 points scattered across the map. The startup plans to significantly expand its geography and increase the number of rental stations in the area to 250 by the end of this year and by 2,000 by mid-2019. The project also plans to expand to St. Petersburg. By mid-2019, there will be 500 rental stations. Charger rental services will eventually spring up in other Russian cities with a population of over 1 million.
This is the first service of this kind in Russia although in other countries, numerous companies have been taking care of devices with low batteries. Ankerbox in Asia has 1.2 mio customers per day. Device charging is an extremely relevant issue these days. For example, in 2016, a customer in a Moscow coffee shop was not allowed to charge her device, which resonated widely in the media.
In addition to renting a charger, there are alternative ways to top up the battery of your ‘dead’ device. For example, Russia-originated startup GET Corp. offers a solution for distance power transmission.