The Chinese solution that should not take long to arrive in Spain
In any corner of China – a restaurant, the reception of a hotel, each plant of that same hotel, a subway station, a neighborhood store – it is impossible not to stumble upon a box full of PowerBanks. They are everywhere and work simply: escapes a QR code with Wechat either Alipay, An external battery is released, and you can take it to load your mobile anywhere. It is not even necessary to return it in the same place: it is enough to find another station of the same supplier, an easy thing when there are literally thousands deployed in the cities. 88 PowerBanks at the Wuhu train station. Image: Xataka. Behind this little logistics miracle are companies like Meituan, Energy Monster, Xiaodian, Jiedian or Soudian. Companies that not only operate portable battery rental networks, but also created An almost invisible infrastructure, perfectly adapted to mobile dependence of modern Chinese life. The price is as modest as the service is ubiquitous: it usually is around 1 and 8 yuan per hour (from 0.12 to 1 euro), with a daily stop that rarely exceeds 50 yuan (about 6.5 euros), especially in high -transit areas. Some companies require a reimbursable deposit, which ranges between 50 and 200 yuan (6 to 24 euros), although many platforms have eliminated this requirement for their verified users. Do like us on this trip and Stay connected whatever your destination. Always navigate at high speed and With unlimited data with the ESIM from Holafly and forget about unpleasant surprises on the bill. Easy to install, keeping your physical Sim card to receive calls and No positions of Roaming. And with a 5 % discount! Council offered by the brand What if someone decides not to return the battery? Nothing dramatic, but does not go free either. In most services, such as Volt+, if the battery is not returned in 48 hours, an amount is automatically charged that usually surrounds 99 yuanes (about 12 euros) through the linked account. So, The rent becomes de facto In a forced purchase: you stay the PowerBankand they charge you for her. In addition, the penalty may vary if returned in another city other than the rental, or if the battery is returned damaged. 12 PowerBanks in a hotel that had the same box on its 33 plants. Image: Xataka. Image: Xataka. 8 PowerBanks next to the cash register of a restaurant. Image: Xataka. Another pair of boxes from different suppliers in another restaurant. Image: Xataka. Another great Powerbanks reserve in Shanghai. Image: Xataka. Image: Xataka. At the Shanghai train station. Image: Xataka. This ecosystem is not only useful for the user. The shops that house the stations receive a small commission for each rentalin addition to increasing the flow of customers, something that We have already seen in Spain with the neighborhood stores converted into packages collection points. It has become a new layer of urban services. Parallelism with Spain is inevitable. In our country, the implementation of Digital DNI This year, the progressive disappearance of physical cards – payment, loyalty, even driving card– They draw A scenario in which the mobile is not only accessory, but the core of our operational identity. It is no longer about not being able to call or send a message: running out of battery if we get used to leaving the portfolio at home is not being able to pay for anything, not being able to climb a train, not being able to be accredited before an authority. Just as China has converted battery rent into a trivialized need, Spain seems to integrate similar infrastructure if you want to sustain its transition to a 100% mobile life. And it would be logical to think that we will soon see stations of PowerBanks In coffee shops, gyms, bars or sporting events under an affordable micropago model. Years ago We talk to a Belgian company that proposed thisbut he hasn’t had so much tour. A future without physical wallets It implies a new, much more mundane risk: running out of battery will not be a condemnation of ilocalization or boredom, but a personal collapse. And as in so many other things, China already takes us a few advantage loaders. In Xataka | We have visited the Shenzhen falsification market: China is at another level when it comes to copying other products Outstanding image | Xataka