Shared Power Bank Stations – Power Consumption and Cost Estimate

The Brick powerbank station has two stages that define its consumption level: standby or charging. 

The standby mode refers to the state when the power bank station is not charging the powerbank. During this phase, the station consumes power at two levels:

1. Communication with our server: Once the station is powered on, it establishes a connection with our servers using a SIM card. This allows the station to maintain constant communication and be prepared to release a power bank when a customer requests one.

2. Communication with the end user
Each power bank slot is equipped with an LED light that indicates the status of the slot. When a rental is initiated, the corresponding LED light will blink to indicate which power bank has been released.

For both small and medium stations, the standby power consumption is 5W.

When an uncharged power bank is inserted into the station, it immediately begins the recharging process. During this time, the station's power consumption increases by 7.5W until the power bank is fully charged.  If the station holds more than four uncharged power banks, it prioritizes charging the first four power banks. Once any of these four power banks are fully charged, the station proceeds to charge the fifth power bank.

Once all the power banks in the station are fully charged and reach 100% capacity, the station reverts to standby mode. In standby mode, the station operates at its regular power consumption level, as mentioned earlier.

Example:
A small station with 4 uncharged powerbanks consumes 35W per hour (35Wh). The powerbanks are fully charged after one hour, let's say for this example that it would run at 35W for 24h, the power consumption would then be 35*24 = 840W (0.84kW). 

It takes approximately 1 hour for a station to charge a Brick power bank from 0 to 100%. Our focus is to maximize the usage of products and resources. This includes maximizing the lifetime while optimizing the uptime. The charging technology is designed to protect the battery and prolong its lifetime.

To calculate the cost, you simply multiply the venue’s price per kW by the kW. Let’s say the venue you talk to pays €0.3 per kW. The yearly cost would then be 56*0,3 = €16,8.
