Charging your phone at the train station in Rotterdam
The folks at Dutch Rail (NS) are currently testing a post called the ‘ChagR’ (pic with complicated instructions) that would allow two commuters at a time to charge up their mobile phones for free while they wait for the train. Some 110,000 people take the train every day from Rotterdam Central Station, so if this were to be implemented, more posts would be a must.
Although Dutch Rail has said to be thrilled about the idea, commuter response has been apathetic, with only 40 people having used the post, which works for micro USB, iPhone and even ordinary batteries. The instructions are apparently long-winded and more testing is needed, but the idea is not bad.
I would rather charge my phone in the train and ideally plug in my laptop there as well. I picture easy smartphone theft as well and two people at a time is way too little charging power.
(Link: blog.phonehouse.nl, Photo of train by Flickr user UggBoy hearts UggGirl, some rights reserved)
They have the same already for a while at High Catheryne (Utrecht Central). Eight lockers are equipped with cellphone chargers, free to use. Theft shouldn’t be that easy, as you can lock your phone while it charges. I tried it once, however the charging system is powered by simple USB, which carries too few power to quickly charge your phone. Let’s say for every minute you charge it, your phone stays alive for one more minute. Given the fact that hardly anyone spends more than five minutes at a trainstation, it’s enough to call your destination to inform them about your delay.