Introducing Upp – the hydrogen powered portable device charging solution.

UK based company Intelligent Energy introduces Upp, a personal energy devices designed to charge and power USB compatible portable devices such as smartphones and tablets with its focus on Nigeria and South Africa. Upp is capable of providing instant energy on the go through replaced fuel cartridges – it is claimed to be able to deliver one week of charge to even the most demanding devices.

Upp - Hydrogen Powered Charging Solution

How does it work?

The Upp fuel cell uses hydrogen – provided by specialized fuel cartridges, and combines it with air to produce clean electricity with water vapour as a by-product. Users simply need to combine the Upp fuel cell with a fuel cartridge and can begin powering their devices.

Upp cartridges can be refuelled for less than $5 (NGN 850) or less than 1$ (NGN 170) to charge your phone. The entire device will cost less than $200 (NGN 34,000), which is rather expensive for device peripheral no matter how you decided to look at it.

Feasibility Study  

In Nigeria today is true that the national electrical grid does not provide a reliable electricity supply for the country, as a result every household has at least one power generator capable of supplying an entire home with electricity. With the growing number of smart-devices in the region and the projected increases over the next few years this is lucrative avenue to explore. But others before Upp have successfully provided more economic alternatives to this problem. 

In Lagos, Nigeria – the economic hub of the country, you can readily find crude yet effective mobile phone charging kiosks, usually powered by small petrol powered electric generators. At these kiosks charging your device will cost you between NGN 50 – 100 ($ 0.29 – 0.58). 

Local Charging Kiosk - Lagos, Nigeria   

Photo Credit:  Elizabeth Musa

 

 

 

 

For those who prefer more mobile charging options you can buy a portable battery charger, which is essentially a battery pack that once fully charged can be used to juice up your device up to 4-5 times without any extra cost to you. These devices on an average go for NGN 5,000 ($30), significantly cheaper than the $200 price point estimated for the Upp.

Conclusion 

I feel the Upp is a welcome addition to the list of solutions provided to help the Nigerian populous cope with the lack of reliable electricity. But due to its high price point and cost of maintenance – not to mention Nigeria being a country with most of its population below the poverty line, I worry about its level of adoption. It most-likely will be only adopted by individuals within the higher middle class and upper class minority, which may or may not be a bad thing depending on the expectations of Intelligent Energy for the device.

The Upp will be available for purchase in Nigeria and South Africa from mid – December before being made available in the rest of the world next year. 

So what do you think about the Upp? Will you be getting one? I would make a neat Christmas present wouldn’t it?

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