NYC to Offer Free Cell Phone Charging Stations Throughout the City and Parks

A company called Pensa has come up with a design for a self-sufficient rest stop that is capable of charging people's cell phones in public. The system is called "Street Charge" and, thanks to a deal with a solar company named Goal Zero and AT&T, Street Charge will be installed in 25 locations across New York City.

According to Fast Co Design, when originally conceived, Street Charge was a unit that could be attached to any street sign. Powered by one solar panel, the unit would offer free cell phone charging and a little shelf for users to put their coffee or purse. Since its original conception, it has been redesigned to be a freestanding, battery-filled unit.

The reason for the change was simply a way to avoid the red tape that would come with getting the city of New York, or whatever location the Street Charge system is located, to approve their use on existing street signs. In addition, the single panel has been converted into a three-panel helicopter style design.

This increases the surface area and allows for the unit to catch more sunlight. Endgadget reports they will each have 6 USB ports for charging iPhones and iPads. There are 30-pin and Lightning plugs for Android and Windows Phone users to hook up to micro-USB. Everyone else must use their own cable with one of the three female USB connectors.

Now the structures are free standing, they can be placed in both urban and natural environments throughout the city. They can exist in highly populated areas or, in the middle of Central Park. In fact, a majority of these installations will be in the more natural parts of the city, those that aren't easily accessible to electricity. Thanks to Street Charge stations, New Yorkers will never be without a way to charge their phone without having to go through the trouble of digging up grass to lay down cable.

"We wanted something that looked like it fit naturally in those natural environments," Marco Perry, founder of Pensa said. "It's a little bit organic, but it's a little bit industrial. It kind of looks like a flower, but so little that it's not kitschy. It's more of an abstraction."

Street Charge stations will be rolled out across the city over the course of the next 90 days in an exclusive deal with AT&T. Fast Co Design reports they're classified as temporary structures. Since the promotion will come to an end, Street Charge could expand to more permanent locations in other cities and parks in the future.

This summer they'll begin in Fort Green Park on June 18, then Brooklyn Bridge Park, Coney Island, Riverside Park, Rockaways, Summerstae in Central Park, Randall's Island, Governor's Island, Union Square and Hudson River Park.