U-Charge - A Sustainable Product-Service System on Portable Batteries for Commuters

This video features our proposed system design of reusable, rechargeable, and recyclable powerbanks to address the need for emergency charging and issues of overwhelmed electronics waste simultaneously. The brand name, U-Charge, is both a wordplay that instils responsibility of electronic product users and a symbol for bending the linear economy to close the resource loop.

Our solution first features charging stations located at various bus stops and tube stations, where alternative energy sources were explored including solar and wind power, as well as the innovative kinetic foot panelling. Users can easily rent a portable powerbank, and return it at any other station. A monitoring algorithm detects the efficiency and determines the end life of powerbanks, which will be collected and sent to our factory for recycling. A new powerbank design integrates the bio-degradable casing (made from bio-plastic sourced from rice husk), Lithium-ion polymer rechargeable battery, and modular induction charging units and multiple cables.

System thinking skills were developed, with techniques such as the material flow mapping in a circular economy, design for manufacture, assembly, and disassembly, and different business models for reusable products and services.
Our solution was then evaluated with Granta EduPack Eco Audit, resulting in a significantly lower carbon footprint and huge savings from material recycling if we have achieved the economics of scale.
I would like to thank my teammates, Tiffiny Qiao, Gus Cox, and Amber King for their dedicated work and contribution to this project. Special thanks to our tutor Marco Aurisicchio and our GTA Livia Kalossaka for their invaluable guidance and professional critiques.