ZipCharge has revealed the GoHub, the world’s first portable EV charging infrastructure for shared, public use. The GoHub is a revolution in public charging provision, providing a community-based solution that can be installed anywhere, at a much lower cost and at a much faster rate, while enabling any parking space to be a charging spot. The ability to roll out Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure at speed is essential to allow national and local governments to deploy it at a faster rate where it is needed the most to support mass EV adoption. EV owners will now have the choice to purchase the Go outright, on a subscription, or rent one through the GoHub.

The GoHub hosts multiple ZipCharge Go EV power banks to address the need for convenient, flexible, and low-cost energy. It is a secure way of housing, recharging, and providing access to the ZipCharge Go so that anyone can access a portable power bank at the lowest cost. The GoHub is modular and flexible in size, suitable for a diverse number of locations, including on-street, in car parks, at work, and in private environments.

ZipCharge Co-founder, Jonathan Carrier “We intend to establish the world’s first vertically integrated ‘energy point operator’ (EPO) to serve hundreds of millions of people around the world so everyone can access convenient and low-cost energy. The ZipCharge Go and the GoHub enable the storage of clean energy, which can then be distributed for a multitude of uses from charging an EV to powering equipment.

“We predict our portable power banks will outsell fixed home chargers by 2030, in the same way, mobile phones overtook landlines. That’s because the Go can be used for more than charging EV charging, it’s a portable energy storage device for personal energy management. We have the bold ambition to deploy 100,000 GoHubs globally by 2030 to support EV charging, local grid resiliency, and energy democracy.”

ZipCharge Co-founder, Richie Sibal, “The Go and the GoHub are integral components of our future energy platform, one that combines hardware, software, and distributed energy storage in the home and our public energy points to provide a wide range of energy services for our customers. We will use technology to solve the inequality that exists around access to charging and energy by placing a ZipCharge Go unit within five minutes walk of where people live and park.”

In its base form, the GoHub comes in two variants; a single-sided unit that houses five ZipCharge Go portable power banks or a double-sided GoHub with ten. Both fit comfortably into a regular parking space. It can also be sited on the pavement or close to where power already exists. All GoHubs can be intelligently reconfigured, expanded, and connected together with minimal investment, growing in tandem with the adoption of electric vehicles.

Through the GoHub, ZipCharge Go power banks will be available to rent 24 hours a day with the option to pre-reserve a Go in the app. As the user approaches the correct bay door of the GoHub automatically opens. They then easily pull out the charger from its dock inside the GoHub, wheel it to the vehicle and plug it in. Once finished, the user is notified on their smartphone, they collect the Go and return it to the bay allocated via the app.

Anytime access will allow anyone to use a Go power bank for a simple to understand fee: £1, €1 or $1 for a 4kWh charge with no connection fee. This simple and transparent pricing allows everyone to know what their daily driving will cost. ZipCharge aims to provide lower prices per kWh compared to fixed AC charging given the integrated Energy Storage System in the GoHub allows ZipCharge to take cleaner, cheaper electricity overnight.

The GoHub has been conceived with every community in mind, integrating a range of optional technologies including rainwater harvesting, Wi-Fi hotspot, mobile device charging, a green living roof and renewable energy generation, including innovative wind turbines suitable for both urban and rural environments developed by Flower Turbines in the Netherlands. The GoHub can also provide sustainable charging solutions for other forms of mobility with an optional micromobility docking station for eScooters and eBikes that integrates with any provider.

The GoHubs re-use end-of-life batteries from the ZipCharge Go as the integrated Energy Storage System. This presents a genuine circular approach to extending battery life and usability, while also lowering cost. The integrated ESS in the GoHubs provides resiliency to the local grid by charging the Go chargers at times of peak grid demand, feeding the portable chargers at times of peak energy demand, reducing grid dependence, and building resiliency.

The GoHubs will be three times cheaper and three times faster to install versus fixed on street level 2 chargers, transforming the payback period for AC public charging from 8-10 years to less than two. This would allow the government and public funding support to install more chargers in more locations. They can also be placed where the grid can best cope with the extra load, as well as being far less disruptive to the streetscape.

GoHubs will come with a suite of technology support. They will all be networked to the ZipCharge cloud and back-office with energy management and remote monitoring software to ensure operational safety and optimise charging costs and energy use.

Engineered to the same standards as automotive electronics systems, the lightweight ZipCharge Go power bank is the size of a compact wheeled suitcase which can be charged in a GoHub, at home or elsewhere using a standard domestic plug at a lower cost per kWh of electricity when compared to public on-street charging. Using the retractable handle, users then wheel it to wherever they’ve parked their EV and plug it into the charging port.

The port locks the charging cable in, securing the charger with the vehicle. ZipCharge Go provides up to 20 miles (32km)* of range, providing sufficient range for the average daily commute (in UK/EU), in a little over 30 mins and can then be neatly stored in the trunk/boot, or at home. ZipCharge Go can be used in all normal weather conditions like a normal fixed charge point.

Switch has launched two scooters – the Switch Scooter Troxus and the Switch Scooter Troxus Pro. Both Switch Scooter Troxus and Switch Scooter Troxus Pro have a unique design with a detachable battery which makes them so easy to charge.

Both have cruise control options that allow you to travel at a comfortable speed without extra effort. Together with these features, both Switch Scooter Troxus and Switch Scooter Troxus Pro have a mobile app where customers can set their preferences within the setting.

Switch Scooter Troxus is an affordable scooter within the Switch range that still has a powerful motor of 350W that allows you to travel at up to 25 km/h speed. It has solid 8.5-inch honeycomb tires that don’t need maintenance and a 7.5A battery, which can accommodate journeys of up to 30 km in distance.

Switch Scooter Troxus Pro is an advanced scooter that can compete with the market’s most famous brands. It has a very powerful motor of 450W that allows you to reach a top speed of 30 km/hour. Switch Scooter Troxus Pro has two batteries (7.5A each) that can last up to 60 km in distance.

This scooter has shock-resistant 9.5inch pneumatic tires which makes a ride on speed bumps and uneven road surfaces more comfortable.

Switch Scooter Troxus and Switch Scooter Troxus Pro both have the ability to carry a weight of up to 120 kgs. All this makes it one of the strongest scooters in the category. Both have an easy folding mechanism for easy transportation in your car boot. The Switch Scooter Troxus and Switch Scooter Troxus Pro are available now at Axiom Telecom retail outlets.

FENIX has launched FENIX Pay, its inclusive payments service for the region. With FENIX Pay, users will have the convenience and flexibility to choose among multiple payment methods to access FENIX’s affordable and convenient services across five countries in the region.

“Although the Greater Middle East boasts a young and digitally savvy population—with smartphone penetration reaching 80 to 90 percent in leading markets—the region has remained heavily dependent on cash. Only about a third of retail transactions are conducted electronically, due to factors such as underdeveloped digital-payments infrastructure and services, underbanked consumer and merchant segments, and a cultural bias toward cash,” the company said.

Increasing payment options, therefore, is a necessity to allow more people to participate in the benefits of affordable electric mobility, and unleash urban potential via financial inclusion. FENIX Pay provides users with a range of options to pay for FENIX services including via credit cards, debit cards, mobile/telco credit, Apple Pay, and local digital wallets.

Commenting on the impact of FENIX Pay, Jaideep Dhanoa, Co-Founder and CEO of FENIX, said, “Mobility is a means-to-an-end and an enabler or limiter to get where you need to be, to do what you’re meant to do, to reach your potential. When we started FENIX we focused on mobility as the first domain where we can make a difference. It has quickly become apparent that financial inclusion is another major limiter in today’s economy. The Middle East is a diverse region with large income distributions. There are many people who could benefit from and want to use our e-mobility and delivery services but haven’t been able to only because they don’t have a credit card. Mobile payments in the region are failing these segments. So we have started building our own payments platform called FENIX Pay so we can remove this limiter and provide financial freedom for anyone to pay how they like.”

To serve underbanked customers, the company focused on where such consumers already have a stored value balance and identified direct carrier billing with telecom operators as an ideal channel. In the UAE and in Turkey anyone with a smartphone will be able to pay for FENIX services via live integrations with the two leading UAE national telecom providers – Etisalat and Du – and three leading Turkey telecom providers – Turkcell, Vodafone and Türk Telekom.

Later this quarter, FENIX Pay will also be integrated with leading telecom operators Mobily in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and with Batelco in Bahrain. The payments platform also includes seamless payments with Apple Pay across the region.

In addition, consumers are able to top up their FENIX Pay balance through cash-based vouchers in all operating markets including UAE, KSA, Bahrain, Qatar and Turkey. Users can simply approach a FENIX Associate in an operating area or when receiving a delivery and purchase a voucher using cash, card on delivery with Nomod, or local digital wallet transfers including STC Pay in Saudi Arabia and Benefit Pay in Bahrain.

IQ Sayed, Co-Founder and CTO of FENIX, said, “Innovation to create impact is in our DNA. We realized that in order to achieve our mission, we needed to address the payments barrier in our region. As the only vertically integrated electric mobility and deliveries platform focused on the Middle East, we feel an obligation to invest in local payments so all our consumers can participate in the benefits of affordable and convenient mobility. We have some of the most compelling use-cases for inclusive multi-channel payments. There is a lot that still needs to be done but we are very excited to be leading this effort in our region and exploring how we can bring more financial inclusion with FENIX Pay.”

FENIX Pay is launching immediately in all 5 countries where FENIX currently operates. The service has been developed in an exclusive partnership with Apaya, a modular, scalable platform enabling merchants to add a secure payments layer to their tech. In line with its mission, FENIX will continue to integrate additional alternative payment channels with local providers to unleash urban potential via financial inclusion in the Greater Middle East.

“We’re excited to partner with Jaideep, IQ and FENIX team, as the company continues to evolve its platform and offer urban residents an innovative mobility proposition,’” said Michael Tomlins, Co-Founder, and CEO of Apaya. “At Apaya we understand how traditional, international payment schemes are inaccessible to many and localised for a few. Local payments are an important component in the customer experience and in driving global commerce. By 2025, local payment methods will process 66% of e-commerce transactions as they are more accessible, flexible, and secure. We look forward to enabling more local payment methods and increasing financial inclusion in the Middle East for FENIX and its customers.”

FENIX operates the largest electric vehicle fleet in the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey (MENAT) with over 10,000 vehicles. The company is driving innovations for the Middle East market, including the region’s first private e-scooter subscription service, MyFENIX; the world’s first integrated hand sanitization pack with its scooters, and Middle East’s first 10-minute convenience delivery service, F10.

FENIX e-bikes and e-scooters cost AED 1 / QAR 1 / SAR 1 / BHD 0.1 / TRY 1.5 per minute to ride and are the first in the region with No Unlock Fee. Residents and visitors can enjoy their first ride free for up to a few minutes using a new user promo code, while repeat commuters can receive benefits from the “Rise with FENIX” rewards program, offering free credits and discounts on a monthly basis, where the more you ride the more you save.

Riders can easily locate FENIX e-bikes and e-scooters by downloading the FENIX mobile application from iOS and Google Play stores and making use of the electric vehicles 24 hours a day.