A London phone box has been converted into a solar powered charging point

These days phone boxes are practically useless. Yes you might need one occasionally, and yes they make an excellent posing point for tourists, but in the world of mobile phones they’re a little bit antiquated. That’s why converting this old phone box into a charging point is a genius idea.

The first, of what is hoped to be many, green coloured charging stations was opened on the 1st October on Tottenham Court Road outside the Dominion Theatre and uses solar panels to provide free power for phones and other electronic devices.

London Mayor Boris Johnson said:

“It’s fantastic to see our young entrepreneurs already up and running with this brilliant idea. In our modern world, where hardly any Londoner is complete without a raft of personal electronic gizmos in hand, it’s about time our iconic phone boxes were updated for the 21st Century, to be more useful, more sustainable, and just as striking with a marvellous new green makeover. As London’s low carbon economy grows, it’s new start-ups like this, with our funding and support, that are keeping London at the forefront of future technology.”

The plan at the moment is to open more converted phone boxes over the next 12 months, and that really is a great idea. Not only does it provide power for everyone’s gadgets, it also means that the sight of a dilapidated unused phone box could be a thing of the past.

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Tom Pritchard