London's Iconic Red Phone Boxes Transformed Into Solar Charging Stations
- 10 years ago
London’s red phone boxes are an iconic site in the city. However, some of them have been transformed into green mobile charging stations.
London’s red phone boxes are an iconic part of the city's landscape. However, given their limited practical use today, some of them are getting transformed into green mobile charging stations.
This week, the first solar-powered box was unveiled. For now, six of them are scheduled to be morphed into charging boxes.
The renewal is part of a project, which was thought up by a pair of London School of Economics graduates, Harold Craston and Kirsty Kenney.
Craston remarked "I lived next to a phone box in my second year…and walked past it every day. I thought, 'There are 8,000 of these lying unused in London and we must be able to find a use for them.'"
The under-utilized phone boxes are now being called Solarboxes. Each one can charge about a 100 phones per day.
The service is free for cell phone owners, however ads will be shown to them as they wait for their devices to get a battery boost. The boxes are equipped with sensors that power on LED lights so no one is left sitting in a dark space.
Spending 10 minutes inside the box will give a battery a 20 percent increase. By Spring of next year, the remaining 5 boxes will be released to the public.
London’s red phone boxes are an iconic part of the city's landscape. However, given their limited practical use today, some of them are getting transformed into green mobile charging stations.
This week, the first solar-powered box was unveiled. For now, six of them are scheduled to be morphed into charging boxes.
The renewal is part of a project, which was thought up by a pair of London School of Economics graduates, Harold Craston and Kirsty Kenney.
Craston remarked "I lived next to a phone box in my second year…and walked past it every day. I thought, 'There are 8,000 of these lying unused in London and we must be able to find a use for them.'"
The under-utilized phone boxes are now being called Solarboxes. Each one can charge about a 100 phones per day.
The service is free for cell phone owners, however ads will be shown to them as they wait for their devices to get a battery boost. The boxes are equipped with sensors that power on LED lights so no one is left sitting in a dark space.
Spending 10 minutes inside the box will give a battery a 20 percent increase. By Spring of next year, the remaining 5 boxes will be released to the public.