Saving battery lives with ChargedUp

We’re partnering with ChargedUp so that you can recharge your phone on the go, 100% green! We chat to co-founder Charlie Baron about how this sustainable tie-up came together...

Charlie Baron is a guy in a hurry. A hurry to help lead the charge towards a greener, cleaner sustainable future. At just 25, he is one of the founders of forward-looking phone (and tablet) outdoor recharging business ChargedUp. His three co-founders (Hugo Tilmouth, Forrest Skerman-Stevenson and Hakeem Buge) are just 24; two of them, including Charlie, did degrees at Loughborough University and two at Exeter University.

The company has its roots in London, Charlie’s home city – the office based in Shoreditch High Street, one of London’s startup hubs. In fact, London (specifically east London) is where their early activities were concentrated.

So, what is ChargedUp?

“Over the years the battery hasn't been able to keep up with the demand we place on our phones. Although millions of power banks are purchased every year, it never solved the problem” says Charlie. “But the reality was, they would often forget to bring them to nights out or to festivals or on holidays, so they would end up buying several, which is not the best use of resources and not especially sustainable.

“So we devised a solution in that we have mobile charging banks that sit happily on a bar or stall at a festival, and can charge many devices at a reduced cost to the environment. We are trying to have sustainable power available to everyone across the UK, giving you power when you need it most.”

The past year has seen ChargedUp spreading from its East London roots to be installed all over the UK; they recently passed the 900-unit mark and are soon to hit 1,000. As well as bars, they are becoming a regular sight at festivals (they will be at ValleyFest in August along with about 200 of the Octopus team...) The future looks rosy as well, with Charlie saying they are in advanced discussions with partners in the Netherlands, Germany and Spain, to name just a few.

How did the partnership with Octopus come about?

“Sustainability has always been at the core of our business and wanted to find a partner who could help power our network with renewable power. I was introduced to Greg in early 2019”

“Greg is passionate and determined to build a sustainable future, and that is what we’re all about. We love what Octopus is doing with households, time-of-use tariffs such as Agile and selling electricity back to the grid, as well as their progressive approach to EVs.”

We're so excited about the future this partnership will open up for clean, outdoor recharging. Last word goes to Charlie:

To find out more about ChargedUp, or become a ChargedUp venue yourself, head to their site.