Power bank sharing start-up ChargeSPOT Taiwan (共享數位服務) has received a new round of funding totaling US$2 million to finance its charging-station expansion plan in and around Taipei.
Japan’s Dream Link Entertainment Inc is the leading investor this round, while John Yeh (葉建漢), founder of the smart iDrip coffee machine maker, also made an investment of an unspecified amount, ChargeSPOT Taiwan said in a statement released on Tuesday last week.
The company plans to use the proceeds to more than triple its number of battery charging stations to 7,000 by the end of next year, compared with the 2,300 stations it currently operates, ChargeSPOT said.
“The power bank sharing service is a new solution for people in need of recharging [their phones or tablets] on the run,” ChargeSPOT Taiwan cofounder and chief executive officer Stanlee Chiang (姜建丞) said in the statement.
Increasing use of smartphones and electronic devices are the main factors propelling rental demand for portable mobile chargers, the company said.
The company aims to place new battery charging stations in high-traffic areas such as shopping centers in Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) area, Xinyi District (信義) and Shilin District (士林), as well as in shopping malls, theaters and transportation stations.
The company said it is also in talks with one local convenience store chain operator and telecom operators to house its power bank rental outlets.
The battery packs are taken and returned at charging stations and can be rented through apps, with payment available through Line Pay, ChargeSPOT said.
Chiang formed ChargeSPOT Taiwan earlier this year, and the company has 35,000 registered members.
The company also operates about 500 stations in Thailand, but does not have a presence in China due to intense competition, ChargeSPOT said.
Zhang Yazhou was sitting in the passenger seat of her Tesla Model 3 when she said she heard her father’s panicked voice: The brakes do not work. Approaching a red light, her father swerved around two cars before plowing into a sport utility vehicle and a sedan, and crashing into a large concrete barrier. Stunned, Zhang gazed at the deflating airbag in front of her. She could never have imagined what was to come: Tesla Inc sued her for defamation for complaining publicly about the vehicles brakes — and won. A Chinese court ordered Zhang to pay more than US$23,000 in
‘LEGACY CHIPS’: Chinese companies have dramatically increased mature chip production capacity, but the West’s drive for secure supply chains offers a lifeline for Taiwan When Powerchip Technology Corp (力晶科技) entered a deal with the eastern Chinese city of Hefei in 2015 to set up a new chip foundry, it hoped the move would help provide better access to the promising Chinese market. However, nine years later, that Chinese foundry, Nexchip Semiconductor Corp (合晶集成), has become one of its biggest rivals in the legacy chip space, leveraging steep discounts after Beijing’s localization call forced Powerchip to give up the once-lucrative business making integrated circuits for Chinese flat panels. Nexchip is among Chinese foundries quickly winning market share in the crucial US$56.3 billion industry of so-called legacy
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday held its first board of directors meeting in the US, at which it did not unveil any new US investments despite mounting tariff threats from US President Donald Trump. Trump has threatened to impose 100 percent tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, prompting market speculation that TSMC might consider boosting its chip capacity in the US or ramping up production of advanced chips such as those using a 2-nanometer technology process at its Arizona fabs ahead of schedule. Speculation also swirled that the chipmaker might consider building its own advanced packaging capacity in the US as part
‘NO DISRUPTION’: A US trade association said that it was ready to work with the US administration to streamline the program’s requirements and achieve shared goals The White House is seeking to renegotiate US CHIPS and Science Act awards and has signaled delays to some upcoming semiconductor disbursements, two sources familiar with the matter told reporters. The people, along with a third source, said that the new US administration is reviewing the projects awarded under the 2022 law, meant to boost US domestic semiconductor output with US$39 billion in subsidies. Washington plans to renegotiate some of the deals after assessing and changing current requirements, the sources said. The extent of the possible changes and how they would affect agreements already finalized was not immediately clear. It was not known
RSS