Wired in the Woods

Powerbank rental kiosk appears at trailhead

Photo by Christine Little.

Heading into nature for a recharge has taken on a whole new meaning in Lions Bay.

A new private initiative is allowing forest trail visitors to charge their electric devices before heading off on a hike.

A power-bank rental kiosk has recently appeared at the Sunset Trailhead.

According to Financial Officer Joe Chirkoff, the kiosk was spearheaded by former Director of Operations (DO) Karl Buhr.

Chirkoff says that the project — which was not reviewed by Council — is a private venture, and the Village has no involvement other than collecting a percentage of the profit. 

"We assisted with the installation of the concrete pad and electrical connection, however those costs were prepaid in full by the vendor so the village would not be out of pocket for anything."

When asked for comment, Councillor Ron McLaughlin acknowledged that he hadn't heard of the project through Council, but thought it was "a cool idea".

Councillor Neville Abbott expressed further reservations, suggesting that such projects still need Council approval through the budgeting cycle.

The kiosk is the brainchild of Alpine Charging Solutions, a company that was incorporated in British Columbia last September.

The machine has a fairly simple interface where, for $3.99, users can rent a power bank (plus connection cables) for 24 hours. Users who just want a top-up (or those who change their minds) can return the unit within ten minutes for free. Users who do not return the power bank within 24 hours can keep it for a further $30. Broken or lost power banks are treated as not returned, and the user is charged an additional $30.

The power banks are mobile-phone-sized lithium ion battery packs, each equipped with a lightning, USB-C and micro-USB-C cable.

Chirkoff says the amount collected by the Village of Lions Bay is ten percent of net sales from the kiosk. He added that no further involvement is anticipated from staff or Public Works, and the costs of the eventual removal of the kiosk will be borne by the vendor.

Alpine Charging Solutions has Village roots. The company (and the kiosk) is the brainchild of Lions Bay engineering student Jack Buhr and two partners.

"We are three university students framing this endeavor as an interesting project rather than a critical business opportunity," said Buhr, who is Karl Buhr's son. "We want to learn more about running a business while providing a useful service to my home village."

The kiosk at the Sunset trailhead is currently the company's sole location. Buhr says that the company has not yet established a relationship with other municipalities, but that they are looking for expansion opportunities.

The kiosk has been installed for less than a month, but Buhr says they've met with moderate success so far, and are optimistic as the hiking season is just beginning.

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