The Story
Having been in the battery manufacturing space for a few years, we were becoming increasingly disappointed with the lack of growth in charging speeds of batteries; it simply took too long for batteries to recharge which brought us to the Ultrapak. The fastest charging battery of its time!
Pain-point and Conception
Since 2011, UNU has been providing consumers with rechargeable battery accessories including portable battery packs and battery cases for phones. While the boom in cell-phones during this time led to great success. A common problem (especially with larger batteries) was recharge times. No one wanted to wait around for a battery pack to charge. A 10,000mAh battery pack (the equivalent of 5 charges of an iPhone 5) would take about 8 hours to fully recharge at ~ 1 Amp.
To solve the problem, we had to look at how batteries were charging…
The Water Glass Example
Imagine you have an empty glass that you are going to fill with water. At first you pour quickly as the glass is empty, but as the glass fills and water gets closer to the brim, you have to slow down pouring to avoid spilling. This is similar to how a battery charges. At first charging power is high, but as the battery reaches capacity, energy input must be slowed.
Battery Cell Efficiency
Now, imagine that a battery pack is compromised of multiple empty glasses. Each “glass” represents a portion of the overall battery capacity of your device. If we use a 10,000mAh battery pack that has four “cells” (glasses) as an example, each cell would be 2,500mAh worth of power.
In the past, battery packs would fill one glass each at time. Quickly starting, and then slowing down once the glass was nearly filled, and subsequently moving to the next glass once the first was finished.
Conventional Charging – Filled Consecutively.
This method was causing serious increases to charging time so….we changed it!
Ultrapak Charging
Ultrapak Charging – Simultaneously
Instead of filling each glass separately, we made a design to fill each glass simultaneously. The benefit was utilizing the faster charging speeds of empty battery cells (glasses). By focusing power equally among the cells, we could prioritize “filling” up the empty space quickly.
With 80-90% of the charge time going “full-speed” charging times were reduced by more than 75%!
In 90 minutes, the Ultrapak’s 10,000mAh battery was fully charged, compared to almost 8 hours with other battery packs in our lineup
Design
Since the Ultrapak was such a unique technology, it was important to ensure the product shined not only in regards to its technical genius, but in it’s aesthetic presentation. We did several rounds of Q&A testing and comparative analysis resulting in a stream-lined battery-pack that consumers would love.
Packaging
The focus of the packaging was to emphasize the incredible charging speeds of the Ultrapak. The design used easy-to-understand numbers that directly relieved consumers pain-points.
Website Design
Again, much like the packaging, the goal was to focus on how much time the Ultrapak saved users. Some lifestyle photos were added to the mix to convey a more personal touch.
Promotional Videos
Two live-action commercials were made for the product. We partnered with Sidecar Productions to bring the Ultrapak right into your home.
National Media Attention
After making the front page of the New York Times national media attention grew to viral proportions. Below are some of the coverage the Ultrapak received during that time.
Final Notes
The Ultrapak was a massive commercial success. The product single-handedly helped us surpass our major rival Mophie at the time and helped the company establish itself as a major player in the cell-phone accessory category. I still use the Ultrapak today.